PHOTO: Bildbyrån
It’s never been done before.
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis could be the first.
– If everything feels absolutely perfect, then maybe I will do it, he says to Radiosporten.
The pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, 23, has broken the world record seven times (six of which have been when he broke his own world record). The first time he broke the world record, in 2020, he did Renaud Lavillenie record from 2014 of 6.16 meters. It was during the “World Athletics Indoor Tour” in Toruń, Poland, with a jump of 6.17 meters.
The thing with world records
This year alone, Mondo has broken the record twice. The first was at 6.22 meters during the All Star Perche pole vault competition in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He set the second world record during the Diamond League final in Eugene, USA. Then he jumped 6.23 meters.
If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed a pattern.
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Duplantis always raises his world record by one centimeter. Some thinkers have argued that Mondo does it for financial reasons, as he gets a bonus every time he breaks the world record. Armand and his team, however, say it’s because he always wants a new challenge and a new goal to aim for.
Anyway, it’s one centimeter at a time as it always is, and as everyone has done it throughout the ages. Until now?
Mondo’s grand plan
The 23-year-old has now opened up to shock the athletics world, and to raise the world record by more than a centimeter.
– The idea exists, the idea exists. Maybe I will do it, says Mondo in an interview with Radiosporten.
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On that day with the perfect conditions, we can expect the big performance.
– Someday, if there is a situation where everything just feels absolutely perfect and everything is there, then maybe I will do something like try to raise the bar a little more than just a centimeter, says Duplantis.
READ MORE: Pole vaulting icon Kjell Isaksson’s beautiful tribute to Armand Duplantis – that’s why Mondo is the best in the world: “Outstanding”