Impossible is not Duplantis. Swedish pole vaulting prodigy Armand Duplantis broke his own indoor world record on Monday in Belgrade by jumping 6.19m. He exulted, and even though the sports arena was almost empty, he was able to celebrate this achievement by going to kiss his girlfriend. “It was time, this height caused me more worries than any other in my life. I am delighted that this has been accomplished, ”he explained hotly, relieved, to Agence France-Presse.
This gifted pole vaulter, holder of almost all the records since he was 11 years old, is not used to the bars resisting him. At 22, he is already European champion, Olympic champion, and has just beaten his 3e world record after passing 6.17 m then 6.18 m in February 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic upset the world, and by extension sports competitions. Next weekend, he will find Belgrade for the Indoor Worlds, of which he is the huge favorite.
“From now on, we will attack 6.20 m, same procedure in two weeks”, he added, sure of his strength compared to the however solid competition of the American Chris Nilsen, who passed 6.05 m Friday in Rouen. Without limit, he seems able to climb the cursor centimeter after centimeter, like the Ukrainian Sergei Bubka in his time. On Monday, in a competition where he was the only pole vaulter of international level, Duplantis was able to focus exclusively on his hunt for the record, easily passing 5.61 m, 5.85 m then 6 m before recovering three times. for the bar at 6.19 m, which shook without falling.
Unbeatable
The dark-haired teenager with light eyes had already tackled the 6.19 m earlier in the winter in Karlsruhe (Germany), Berlin, Uppsala (Sweden), then in Birmingham, without success. A true pole vaulting prodigy, “Mondo”, who was born and raised in the United States, in Lafayette (Louisiana), competes under the colors of Sweden, the country of his mother, who trains him with his father.
At 22, Duplantis hovers above the competition, having won 32 of his 33 competitions since the start of 2020. He became European champion in 2018 in Berlin at just 18, and won the Olympic title last summer in Tokyo with a jump of 6.02m. After the Indoor Worlds, where he seems unbeatable, he will tackle the Outdoor Worlds in July in Eugene (Oregon), the other title missing from his list.
