Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis reached new heights on Monday by breaking his own world record at the Paris Olympics. The Swedish star cleared an amazing 6.25 metres on his third and final attempt by proving that he is the best in the world. This is the ninth time Duplantis has broken the world record, starting from 8 February 2020.
This is Duplantis’ second Olympic gold medal in a row. American Sam Kendricks won the silver medal, and Greece’s Emmanouli Karalis took the bronze. Duplantis had already secured the gold medal by jumping over 6.10m earlier in the night. He then raised the bar one centimetre higher than the world record. After missing his first attempt, there was a break for the 100 meters medal ceremony, where Americans Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley, along with Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, received their medals.
After missing his second attempt, Duplantis succeeded on his third try at the new world record height. The Associated Press reported that while all other events had finished, most of the crowd, including the King and Queen of Sweden, stayed in the arena, singing along to the French song “Allumer le feu” — “Light the Fire” — and clapping in rhythm.
Finally, Duplantis lined up for his last try and cleared it. He then sprinted towards the stands to celebrate, first with his girlfriend and then with his parents, where his old rival Renaud Lavillenie was also present.
Who is Armand Duplantis?
Armand Duplantis also known as “Mondo,” a famous pole vaulter. He was born on 10 November 1999 in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. A pole vaulter Greg Duplantis is the father of Armand Duplantis his mother Helena, was a heptathlete and volleyball player. Armand has both American and Swedish nationality because his mother is Swedish.
Duplantis began pole vaulting at a very young age. He set many world records in junior competitions. In 2018, he won the European Championships in Berlin, where he jumped 6.05 metres. This made him one of the youngest champions in the sport’s history. In February 2020, Duplantis broke the world record by clearing 6.17 metres in Toruń, Poland. A week later, he broke his own record with a jump of 6.18 metres in Glasgow, Scotland with these achievements made him the best pole vaulter in the world.
Duplantis is indeed famous for the style that he uses to claim gold trophies in international events including at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In this we can conclude that Duplantis success has seen him become a hero for the young athletes. his fame, Armand remains calm and eager to perform, he is always keen to clinch more victories in his sport.
What is Pole Vault?
Pole vault is one of the types of athletic field events whereby athletes use a long, elastic pole to help them clear a high bar. The objective of the activity is to remove bars, which are placed at the highest level possible, without causing them to fall down. Here’s how it works:
- The Run-Up: The athlete runs on a track with the help of pole held in his hand.
- The Plant: This structure reaches its culmination where on the ground another box is supplied and the free end of the pole is thrust inside it.
- The Take-Off: In this kind of vaulting the athlete employs the pole to raise him or herself off the ground and over the bar.
- The Clearance: The event that the athlete tries to jump over the bar without knocking it down, and then, upon the succeeding jump, hits foam mat on the other end.
This sport is therefore categorized through the techniques involved, speed, strength and balance. An athlete has to be quick in the running to land on the take-off board, powerful to push himself off the ground and be able to coordinate his actions to perfection as he jumps over the bar. The height of the bar keeps decreasing and the participant is allowed three tries to clear each height.
It is in fact present in almost all of the greatest athletic performances with the objective of presenting some of the most breathtaking feints.
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis surprises the whole world by conquering the record in the World Athletics Championships which is an important event that took place in the history of sports. His new world record in any field means he is a talented, dedicated and hard-working newcomer in the pole vault as well. These achievements are linked to the suggestion of the possible and motivating athletes, as well as fans worldwide, and based on this, he should stay. His story proves that anyone who feels fascinated, frustrated, or cornered by situations in his/her life should know that through passion, perseverance and determination, one can alter his/her story.
Even in the coming years, one will not be surprised to not know the name Duplantis leaving behind greatness in the said event. Generations to come shall learn from him by him encouraging them to aim at the highest level as he has done. Since everyone is waiting for the celebration of this historical event, everyone is also waiting to see and have more fantastic performances with this extraordinary sportsman.
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