On September 17, 2020, Armand Duplantis, aged 20, pole-vaulted into history, creating a new world record in Paul-vaulting. He surpassed the outdoor world record of Sergey Bubka that has stood since 1994.
Duplantis, the American-born Swede known as “Mondo”, sailed over the bar set at 6.15 m in the warm Rome air with such ease that one can expect more records to come.
Born and raised in Louisiana, Duplantis was coached by his American father Greg, a former pole vaulter. He started pole vaulting, which requires the speed and strength of sprinter and the flexibility of a gymnast, when he was four years old and he cleared 5.90 m at the age of 17 at the Texas Relays in Austin in 2017. He turned professional in 2019 after one season on a scholarship at Louisiana State University.
Though the coronavirus pandemic disrupted his early season, yet at meetings in Monaco, Stockholm, Lausanne, and Brussels, Duplantis cleared six metres, showing a new record was within reach.
He was already the overall world record holder, breaking the mark in indoor meetings at 6.18 m in Glasgow. He has proven he is the best vaulter in history both indoors and out.
After his world record spree, Duplantis hopes to win the gold medal at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Courtesy: Agence France-Presse / September 19, 2020