Duplantis more than Bubka’s legacy
The most spectacular flying artist in the world
3/8/2022, 7:21 p.m
He pushes the limits of pole vaulting: The Swede Armand Duplantis is the big attraction of the athletics world. In Belgrade he beat his world record before the big events of the season and already has the next heroic deeds in mind.
No sooner had Armand Duplantis landed after his record flight than he announced the next heroic deeds. “I don’t think that was all,” said the Olympic pole vault champion after his air show in Belgrade and promised: “There’s still a lot to come.” Duplantis had improved his own world record from 2020 by one centimeter on Monday and had sailed over 6.19 meters in the third and last attempt – now he was in the heights. “From now on I will attack the 6.20 meters, of course in two weeks,” said Duplantis.
The 22-year-old Swede was alluding to the first highlight of the season – the World Indoor Championships, which will also take place in Belgrade from March 18th to 20th. “I’m really looking forward to coming back here very soon,” admitted Duplantis. The high-flyer, who has long been regarded as the heir to pole vaulting icon Sergej Bubka, is planning a trio of titles this year: After the World Indoor Championships, the World Championships in Eugene from July 15th to 24th and the European Championships in Munich from July 15th two more highlights until August 21st.
The son of an American, who was himself a pole vaulter, and a Swede, once a heptathlete, developed a taste for jumping with a pole at an early age. As a three-year-old, Duplantis likes to say, he hopped onto the couch with a broomstick. Later, after school, he also trained in pole vaulting in his parents’ garden, which “has always been part of my life”. He and his idol, the Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie, are the only two pole vaulters who were able to surpass the long-standing world record height of 6.14 meters of the former exceptional talent Sergej Bubka.
Are even 6.40 meters possible?
Since last year, the orbiting “Mondo”, who was given the Italian word for “world” after his first world record and likes the nickname, feels even better. The pole vault colleagues had already been amazed. “One wonders how it is even possible that someone like that can jump so high,” German champion Oleg Zernikel said full of respect about Duplantis after his big show at the Olympic Games in Tokyo – and even held the next fable world record for possible. “He’s still young enough, there’s still a lot to come from him. His hips, there’s even more, 6.30, 6.40 he can jump if he keeps doing it.”
Duplantis, who had already indicated his early exceptional form in Birmingham in mid-February with the world annual best of 6.05 meters, seems ready for leaps into new dimensions. The new world record, his third, should unleash additional strength. “I’ve tried it at least 50 times, never has an altitude caused me so much trouble,” said Duplantis. At four meetings – in Karlsruhe, Berlin, Uppsala and Birmingham – he tried his hand at the 6.19 meters this year. Now it worked.