As expected, Armand Duplantis left no chance to the other pole vault finalists on Monday, August 5 at the 2024 Olympic Games. Far too strong, the Swede, who has been crushing the discipline for four years, won his second Olympic title with disconcerting ease. In a crazy atmosphere, he even once again broke the world record, now 6.25m.
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From our special correspondent at the Stade de France,
This goes against the rules of the sport, and of course, such an idea will never be adopted. But one would be tempted to award Armand Duplantis the title in all pole vault competitions directly and to organize another competition for the rest of the circuit. Without insulting the other pole vaulters, the Swede is just too strong. The final of the tournament of JO 2024 has proven it again; Armand Duplantis is extraordinary.
So easy
In a Stade de France with stands speckled with yellow, proof that the Swedish supporters had made the trip for their champion, “Mondo” immediately set the tone. When the 11 other finalists started with a bar at 5.50m, the 2021 Olympic champion skipped it. No time to waste with a height like this when your name is Duplantis.
The Swede successfully entered the competition at 5.70m, just to get his legs going. The next one at 5.80m? Another impasse. The boss remained on the side, sitting or lying relaxed on the track, his hands crossed behind his head, watching the first competitors get stuck. The next one, at 5.85m, also did some damage. But not at Duplantis, that goes without saying.
There were only 7 left in the running for the 5.90m bar… which the Swede allowed himself the luxury of skipping again. Others took the risk and failed. The cherry-picking continued at 5.95m. Only the American Sam Kendricks, former world champion, was able to follow Armand Duplantis. The Greek Emmanouil Karalis skipped at 5.95m, hoping to join the fight at 6m with Duplantis and Kendricks.
And another world record broken for “Mondo”
But there was no fight in Saint-Denis. Armand Duplantis grabbed the 6m bar with disconcerting ease, where Emmanouil Karalis and Sam Kendricks failed. The Greek won the bronze medal, the American got the silver.
Assured of the gold medal, the Swede found himself, once again, in a duel with himself. Only one challenge remained for him, after not having suffered any failure in this final: to push back his world record, set at 6.24m, once again. “Mondo” asked for a first bar at 6.10m. He cleared it, thus beating the previous Olympic record which was 6.03m.
The moment everyone was waiting for then arrived. Armand Duplantis asked for a bar at 6.25m, one centimeter above his world record, to the encouragement of the public and the finalists. The first two attempts were not successful. In a highly charged atmosphere, the pole vaulter prepared for his third and final attempt… And just after thatLight the fire Johnny Hallyday’s song rang out in the Stade de France, Armand Duplantis took off and pulled off a new miracle, unleashing madness among the 80,000 spectators.
In February 2020, when he jumped 6.17m and erased the world record of Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie, we felt that he would not stop there. Since then, Duplantis has not stopped improving this record, centimeter by centimeter. It is already his 9th world record… and he is only 24 years old. This pole vaulter is different. Truly giant.
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