Duplantis secures the gold after an incomparable display

World record holder, world champion, Olympic champion and European champion. The merit list can be made almost endless for Armand Duplantis, who went to the World Championships in Budapest as a great advance favourite.

In the qualifiers, the Swede impressed, when he cleared 5.75 with almost a 30 centimeter margin down to the bar. At the same time, competitors had bigger problems than feared. Thus, the favorite was, if possible, even greater before Saturday night’s pole vault final.

Impressed from the start

A final that Duplantis started by clearing the entrance height of 5.55 with a good margin in the first attempt. When it was then time for the increase to 5.75, many wondered whether Duplantis would jump – or stand over the height.

Once the bar was raised to 5.75, it was clear that Duplantis chose to save the energy for the higher heights and thus stand above the first rise. Duplanti’s second jump in the competition would thus be 5.85.

– I think he is right to stand over when it looks so good at 55. He probably wants to save energy, save hope, get a little extra rest when the others keep jumping. Then it won’t be a problem for him to go in and take 85 if he just does the same way as at 55, explained TV4 expert Carolina Klüft.

Once the bar was raised to 5.85, eleven of 13 jumpers remained. When it was time for Duplantis, only one of six previous jumpers had cleared 5.85 in the first attempt. But the Swede had no problems at all and whizzed high over the bar, which meant that Duplantis took the lead.

Changed staff

But despite the good margin down to the bar of 5.85, it was not peace and joy for Duplantis, who had discussions with father Greg in the stands.

– It seems that Duplantis is changing staff. It was too soft in this jump, so he was over at his case and picked up a new pole to get more flight in the jump, so it was too soft, the one he had in this jump. Therefore, the height did not really come in this jump, said Carolina Klüft.

As expected, the height of 5.85 was a kind of bottleneck in the final. Before the increase to 5.90, only five jumpers had cleared the previous height. At the same time, Duplantis decided to also stand above 5.90 and thus wait with his third appearance in the final.

The competitors impressed

While Duplantis stood over at 5.90, the main competitors impressed. Christopher Nilsen, who had two rips of 5.85, Ernest John Obiena and Thibaut Collet all cleared 5.90 in the first attempt.

Obiena then continued to impress when he also cleared 5.95 in the first attempt. A trick that was repeated by Kurtis Marschall and Christopher Nilsen, thus putting pressure on Duplantis for his first attempt at the height. But Duplantis showed no nerves and also managed 5.95 in the first attempt and was still flawless in the final.

– It is about to become the best pole vault final of all time, in terms of the top width, exclaimed TV4 expert A Lennart Julin.

Reached the dream limit

When the bar was then raised to the dream limit of 6.00, five jumpers were in the fight for the medals. A height that few jumpers in the world have managed.

But Armand Duplantis continued to show class, once again passing in the first attempt, while the competitors demolished their opening attempts. Duplanti’s jump meant that the competitors needed to clear at least 6.05, as the Swede had not had any tears so far in the competition.

But Obiena was not going to give up without a fight and in his second attempt he cleared a six meter jump for the second time in his career.

The competitors tore themselves out

It was worse for the other competitors, who managed 6.00. Thus stood the fight for the gold between Armand Duplantis and Ernest John Obiena.

The increase to 6.05 meant that Obiena was forced to jump higher than he has previously done to take home the gold. But Obiena broke his first attempt roughly and when Duplantis cleared 6.05 in the first attempt, the gold looked to be in store for the Swede. A jump that meant Obiena needed to clear 6.10, a height that only three jumpers have cleared throughout time.

Secured the gold

Obiena chose to save his two remaining jumps to 6.10. But there he broke his first attempt and when Duplantis also managed this height in the attempt, Obiena was whipped to clear 6.15 to take the gold.

But Obiena, who thus has a personal best of 6.00, was never close to clearing the historic height and pulled out after one of the best pole vault competitions of her life. Which meant that Armand Duplantis could celebrate his second straight WC gold.

– You can think like this with “Mondo”: he is a huge favorite, but he also enters with enormous pressure. Ahead of this WC he has had a bit of a back problem and hasn’t had the ‘easy’ journey that you might have experienced at times. He has really had to fight, said Swedish national team captain Kajsa Bergqvist to TV4 after securing the gold.

Jumping for the world record

After the secured gold, however, there remained the moment that Duplantis has become accustomed to, namely trying to jump alone to beat his own outdoor world record. A record that stands at 6.21 from last year’s WC.

Armand Duplanti’s father, Greg, announced after winning the gold that his son had felt a lighter feeling in his thigh, which haunted him before the championship. But he announced at the same time that he would make an attempt at the world record.

– He feels a bit stiff in his hamstring, like in Monaco. It’s like the beginning of Monaco, before it got really bad. But he wants to keep jumping. He wants to make an attempt at the world record. He said a lot of people came here to watch, so he wanted to give them a chance to see something, Greg Duplantis told TV4.

When the bar was then raised to 6.23, the Swede answered for three good attempts. But it was not a polishing of the own world record. Duplantis was then met with a standing ovation from the entire arena after another performance on the biggest of stages.

– Perhaps the best jumping of his career, where the competition lived up to 6.10 and he had no tearing at all. stated TV4 expert A Lennart Julin after the competition.