Armand Duplantis leaves Olympics in shock with never-before-seen act in pole vault final

Swedish sensation Armand Duplantis has broken his own pole vault world record in one of the moments of the Paris Olympics so far. The 24-year-old had the gold medal wrapped up when he hit a first-time clearance at 6m on Monday night.

He then raised the bar to 6.10m and shattered the Olympic record on his first attempt. But he wasn't done there, having the bar lifted all the way to 6.25m - 1cm more than the most recent world record he set in China earlier this year.

The Swede narrowly missed his first two attempts at 6.25m, before soaring over the bar with his third and final leap. The world record sparked unreal scenes in the Stade de France, with Duplantis celebrating with his girlfriend and family, and fans going nuts around the stadium.

Duplantis has now cemented his status as the greatest pole vaulter in history. Popularly known as "Mondo", he is the first man to win back-to-back Olympic pole vault titles since Bob Richards of the USA, who achieved the feat with victories in 1952 and 1956.

It marks the ninth time the US-born 24-year-old, who competes for his mother’s native Sweden, has broken the record. However Monday night was the first time he's done it at the Olympics. He started his run of bettering his won world record in February 2020, and has broken it by one centermetre each time.

American Sam Kendricks won silver with a best of 5.95m, while Greece's Emmanouil Karalis took the bronze (5.90). Steve Hooker said in commentary for Channel 9: “Gravity looks a little bit different for Armand Duplantis. I’m just looking at the bar at 6.25 and it’s still in the air, after a human went over it! Extraordinary.”

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Fellow commentators and fans were also blown away by the unreal scenes. One person summed it up by writing on social media: "Duplantis is not human, at least not like the rest of us mortal beings." Another wrote: "I am absolutely obsessed with Mondo Duplantis. The guy is superhuman and this shot is insane!"

Australia's Kurtis Marschall in awe of Armand Duplantis

Australia's Kurtis Marschall battled through ankle pain after dislocating it earlier this year to finish a creditable sixth. Marschall's best moment of Monday night's competition came with a first-time clearance at 5.85m, after he had passed his final two attempts at 5.80m.

But the Aussie - who won bronze at the 2023 world championships - wasn't able to go any higher, bowing out with two unsuccessful attempts at 5.95m. But it still marked a massive improvement from Marschall's performance in the Tokyo Olympics final three years ago, when he failed to register a height at all.

The Aussie then had a front-row seat for Duplantis' heroics. "That was his plan all along - get the Olympic record first, just get that done, because he didn't clear it in Tokyo, he went straight to the world record then," said Marschall.

"He just wanted to get 6.10 done first and then his clearances during the night were proof that he was going to jump 6.25 for sure. He's got so much more in him, it's ridiculous."

Marschall has spent time with Duplantis in Sweden in recent years - training and hanging out - and considers him a good mate. "It's sick to just be pulled along by him, to be in his wake is more than I could have asked for in this sport," the Aussie said.

"Maybe if it was a different era, then 5.85 would have got me a medal. Obviously I would have liked a bit more of a ideal prep. But getting to this point where I am, and jumping amongst some of the best guys in the world at the moment is more than I could have asked for. Just seeing (Duplantis) do that brings more eyes to the sport and more eyes to the sport is better. He's honestly the GOAT."

with agencies