Armand Duplantis Shatters Pole Vault World Record

Armand Duplantis of Sweden has once again redefined the limits of pole vaulting, setting a new world record of 6.25 meters at the Stade de France. The 24-year-old, who had already secured gold with a clearance of six meters, improved his previous world record of 6.24 meters, set in April. He added an extra centimeter on his third and final attempt.

The crowd’s reaction was one of sheer delight as Duplantis celebrated by running to his friends and family and then taking a victory lap draped in the Swedish flag with Abba’s “Dancing Queen” playing in the background. Duplantis, who has now broken the world record nine times, retained the pole vault title, a feat last achieved by American Bob Richards in 1956.

His achievement at the Olympics follows a career of consistent record-breaking, including setting his first world record at 6.16 meters in February 2020. Since then, Armand Duplantis has improved his mark by one centimeter at various events, making him one of the most prolific pole vaulting champions in history. American Sam Kendricks won the silver medal with a height of 5.95 meters.

Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis claimed bronze on countback with a best of 5.90 meters. Duplantis’s achievements have been met with admiration from his peers with his rivals and pundits acknowledging his extraordinary talent and ability to break records on command. His journey from setting age group records to surpassing his father’s best height of 5.80 meters illustrates his exceptional skill and dedication to the sport.

The question now is how much higher he will go.