Aug
Armand Duplantis Breaks Own Pole Vault Record, Wins Olympic Gold
The pole vaulter known as “Mondo” truly knows how to captivate an audience.
With all other events at the Olympic track concluded for the evening, the 80,000-strong crowd at Stade de France remained on their feet, eagerly watching Armand Duplantis. Resting the pole on his right shoulder, Duplantis took a deep breath before launching down the runway and into the night sky.
Already assured of an Olympic gold medal, Duplantis soared over the sky-high, pink-tinted bar, setting a new world record. The Louisiana-born 24-year-old, competing for Sweden, cleared 6.25 meters (20 feet, 6 inches), breaking the world record for the ninth time, and for the first time on the sport’s grandest stage.
He immediately sprinted to the stands to embrace his girlfriend, celebrating his record and second Olympic gold with friends and family adorned in yellow and blue. Sweden’s king and queen were also present to witness this historic achievement.
“It’s hard to understand, honestly,” Duplantis said. “If I don’t beat this moment in my career, then I’m pretty OK with that. I don’t think you can get much better than what just happened.”
Those present agreed.
“Mondo is an extraordinary jumper because of four factors,” said American Sam Kendricks, who finished second. “One, he’s got a great coach for a long time. He’s had a lot of time to do it. He’s got great equipment and understanding of the event. He’s a fan of sport, and he’s got God’s hand on his back.”
With a second consecutive gold medal and a ninth world record, Duplantis now stands alongside, if not above, Sergei Bubka as the greatest ever in pole vaulting.
Duplantis is comparable to America’s Ryan Crouser, a world-record holder and three-time gold medalist in shot put, in terms of dominance. When it comes to delivering thrilling performances, Duplantis is unparalleled.
After securing victory over Kendricks and capturing the Olympic record by clearing 6.10 meters, Duplantis raised the bar to one centimeter above the world record height.
Following a miss, he reviewed video footage with his parents, who both competed on the LSU track and field team. Another miss ensued, followed by a long break. The fans clapped in rhythm and sang along to “Alleur de Feu” (“Light the Fire”), anticipating Mondo’s leap into history.
Armand Duplantis Breaks Own Pole Vault Record Wins Olympic Gold
A homegrown talent, Duplantis learned pole vaulting on a pit his parents dug in their backyard in Lafayette, Louisiana. During countless afternoons, he often imagined himself going for a world record on his final Olympic jump.
An hour after the stadium cleared, the celebration continued with ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” playing loud and proud outside.
“For it to actually happen the way that it did and for me to put the right jump together at the right time, it’s just, like, how do you explain it?” he said. “It’s bigger than words for me.”
Chebet of Kenya Wins Wild Women’s 5,000 Meters
Duplantis’s record-setting performance capped off an evening that included a surprising victory by Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet in the women’s 5,000 meters. Despite initial disqualification for trading elbows with world-record holder Gudaf Tsegay, Chebet’s teammate Faith Kipyegon won an appeal to claim the silver. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands took the bronze and will also compete in the 10,000 meters and marathon, aiming to replicate her three distance medals from the Tokyo Games.
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