Pole vault king does it again, Duplantis thrills home crowd with historic 6.31m jump
Record night in Uppsala
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis set a new pole vault world record of 6.31 metres at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala on March 12, according to a report by Red Bull.
The 26 year old Olympic champion cleared the height on his first attempt at the IFU Arena, claiming the 15th world record of his career. The achievement came in front of supporters from his local club, Upsala IF.
“This is my house. This means so much to me,” Duplantis said after completing the jump.
He then addressed the spectators in the arena, saying, "Every time I'm on track I represent you. I represent me, my family and you. I feel so proud to be able to do this in front of you."
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For readers unfamiliar with the sport, pole vault is a track and field event where athletes use a flexible pole to propel themselves over a high bar. Duplantis has dominated the discipline for several years and is widely regarded as the greatest pole vaulter in history.
A technical gamble
The record breaking performance included a technical change that surprised many observers. Duplantis extended his run up to 22 steps, a modification he had rarely used in competition.
According to the Red Bull event report, the adjustment allowed him to build more speed before planting the pole.
His father and coach Greg Duplantis explained the decision in comments to Swedish television.
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“Mondo is a good runner and 22 steps gives him the ability to use his speed,” he said.
“I think he is going to jump higher, a lot higher,” he added.
Elite competition night
The Mondo Classic brings some of the world’s best pole vaulters to Uppsala each year and is held in the arena where Duplantis trains with his club.
According to Red Bull’s competition summary, several top athletes competed during the evening, including Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis and Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen.
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Karalis entered the meet after clearing 6.17m earlier in the season but did not reach the six metre mark during the event.
Guttormsen managed to clear 6.00m, often referred to by athletes as the “dream height”, but failed at the next bar of 6.08m, leaving Duplantis as the final competitor attempting the world record.
Results from the meet
Duplantis finished first with his historic 6.31m vault.
Sondre Guttormsen secured second place with a clearance of 6.00m.
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American athlete Zachery Bradford placed third after clearing 5.90m.
The jump adds to a remarkable career that already includes Olympic gold medals, world championship titles and multiple World Athlete of the Year awards.
Sources, Red Bull
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