No world record, but World Cup gold! Armand “Mondo” Duplantis confidently won the title at the World Championships in Athletics. The level in the pole vault final in Budapest was outstanding, but the Swede just hovers above things. Silver went to Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines, while Kurtis Marschall (Australia) and Christopher Nilsen (USA) shared bronze.
Duplantis had already secured the title when 6.23 m lit up on the display panel of the pole vault facility. One centimeter more than the Swede jumped last February at the indoor meeting in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The spectators in the sold-out World Cup stadium wanted to carry the Olympic champion to a new record, but the 23-year-old narrowly failed three times. So it stayed at 6.10 m for Duplantis, who celebrated his second gold at the World Championships after Eugene.
“The guys jumped great and pushed me,” said Duplantis in an interview with Sportschau and did not mourn the missed world record. “I won my second world title, so it’s okay.”
The 6.23 m was not yet due that day, but there is hardly anyone who doubts that the Swede will also master this height at some point. “It felt good, but I can hardly remember,” he said of his three attempts at the World Cup stadium.
“If I jump well, I should be the last one left in the competition,” Duplantis said before the final. And so it happened. Obiena followed the Swede to the six-meter mark, but Eugene, third in the World Championships, did not get past that.
At the beginning of the competition, the spectators and probably also the competitors rubbed their eyes in amazement. Duplantis stood at 5.55 m on the system. A height that actually completely underwhelms the 23-year-old. But the Swede probably wanted to get a feel for the facility and conditions, of course he took the altitude on the first try and then, as expected, dominated the competition.