Swede Duplantis soars to second straight world pole vault title
REUTERS – Sweden’s world record holder Armand Duplantis claimed his second consecutive world pole vault title on Saturday, but did not have a seventh world record in him on a steamy night in Budapest.
The Olympic champion cleared 6.10 metres for gold and then – in what turned into the “Mondo show” – missed at three attempts to clear 6.23, which would have been world record number seven for the remarkable 23-year-old.
“I’m really happy about all these consecutive golds. I don’t know where this one ranks but I’m happy to keep winning,” Duplantis said.
“This was maybe the craziest atmosphere I’ve ever competed in so it meant a lot to be able to turn on a pole vault show for them. It almost felt like I was in the Stockholm stadium there were so many Swedish supporters here. It’s heart-warming and gets you fired up.”
Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines won silver with a jump of 6.00m.
Three days after American Katie Moon and Australia’s Nina Kennedy decided to share the women’s pole vault gold, there was a tie for bronze between Kurtis Marschall of Australia and Christopher Nilsen of the U.S., who both posted 5.95m.
Duplantis has won 12 of 13 competitions this season, and has cleared 6.00m in a remarkable 50 different events. His most recent world record was 6.22 set in France in February.
His three record attempts enthralled the National Athletics Centre crowd, who clapped in time during his run-ups.
“I try not to set limits and barriers on myself and once I started to realise a world record was possible I tried not to see it as a record just as another height I can achieve,” Duplantis said.
“But today never really felt like a world record competition. It was more a pure competition and that’s how it can be. It was great fun. I’d spent a lot of energy by the time it got up to 6.23 metres.”
The Swede’s third attempt was the closest, with his body just grazing the bar, which clung tantalisingly to the standards before wobbling and falling.