Mondo Duplantis and World Records: A Routine Expectation

April 23, 2024

World records have become the expectation when Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis takes the runway to pole vault.

On Saturday during the Xiamen Diamond League, the Swedish Olympic and World champion opened his outdoor season in a manner only he could, with a 6.24 m (20 feet and 5 1/2 inches) vault to clinch yet another world record. ALSO READ: Duplantis starts the season with WR as Xiamen Diamond League delivers a promising start

Expecting Excellence: Mondo Duplantis Consistently Sets World Records

This is Duplantis’ eighth world record, indoor or outdoor, having broken it six times over the last two years, establishing him as the most dominant pole vaulter since the USSR’s Sergey Bubka, who famously owned the 1980s and early ’90s with his 35 world records and Seoul Olympic gold, along with three world titles.

The record that fell on Saturday came on his first attempt, almost out of nowhere.

“Kinda; Not really,” Mondo Duplantis responded when asked if he had been aiming for another world record this early in the season.

American Sam Kendricks was closest to his historic vault with 5.82 m, and Chinese native Bokai Huang was third with 5.72 m.

“For me to jump a world record, I need everything to be in the right place,” said Duplantis. “Still winds, energy from the crowd, and so pretty much everything added up for me to be able to jump high today.”