Athletics-Sweden’s Duplantis breaks world record in pole vault for men
PHOTO PHOTO: Muller Indoor Grand Prix Photocall
By Amy Tennery
(Reuters) -Sweden Armand Duplantis broke his own world record in pole vault for men on Monday, and shot in the height of 6.19 meters on his third attempt at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting.
The 22-year-old improved his own previous landmark performance by one centimeter.
Duplantis beat the Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie’s world mark of 6.16 m with a clearance of 6.17 m in February 2020 and then broke the record again just a week later by another centimeter.
After taking the new record jump on Monday, Duplantis jumped off the mat and pumped his fists to celebrate. The Olympic and European pole vault champion 2018 will now be eager to complete his set of gold medals at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July.
He had made several attempts at the brand before, including at the Tokyo Games in August, and said he thought he might have tried as many as 50 times before.
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve never had a length that has given me so much trouble, so it’s a very good feeling. It’s been a really hard fight the last two years. I’m really happy,” Duplantis said. World Athletics.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Pritha Sarkar)