Athletics: Armand Duplantis sets a new world record in the pole vault with 6.23m

Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP 16:13 pm, September 18, 2023

Swedish Olympic champion Armand Duplantis set a new world record in the pole vault by jumping 6.23m on Sunday at the Diamond League Finals in Eugene (Oregon, USA). The 23-year-old two-time outdoor world champion broke the world record for the seventh time, which he set at 6.22m in February in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The rural stadium of Hayward field, in the small town of Eugene (northwest), succeeds to this athlete who was born and raised in the United States, in Louisiana: he had conquered his first outdoor world champion title in July 2021 by jumping to 6.21 m, then a new record.

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Further improvement in his record

After clearing 6.02m, Duplantis took advantage of Eugene's perfect conditions (sun, about 27 degrees) to clear 6.23m on his first attempt. A true prodigy of the discipline, "Mondo", his nickname, Swedish by his mother, is undefeated in seventeen competitions this season. Since his breakthrough with a European Championship title in Berlin in 2018 at the age of 18, thanks to a jump of 6.05m, Duplantis has won three world titles (including one indoors) and Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.

After erasing the record of Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie (6.17m against 6.16m) in February 2020, he has since improved his record centimeter by centimeter. The former Louisiana State University (LSU) athlete has always been coached by his parents, after learning his art in the family garden. In recent years, he has divided his time between his native region and Sweden.