In an almost empty enclosure, Armand Duplantis had no trouble finding his Swedish girlfriend in the stands, as soon as he fell from the ceiling, to kiss her.
“
It was time, this height caused me more worries than any other in my life.
I am delighted that this is accomplished
, ”he explained hotly, relieved, to AFP.
“
Usually I don't practice jumping this high, but today I felt really confident.
I think it showed in the way I jumped: the only thing I had in mind from the start was to break the record.
If I hadn't succeeded, I would have blamed myself
, ”also confided Duplantis in a press conference after his performance.
6.20m... and beyond
This gifted pole vaulter, holder of almost all the records since he was 11 years old, is not used to the bars resisting him.
At 22, the Olympic champion has just broken his 3rd world record after passing 6.17 m then 6.18 m in February 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic upset the world, and by extension sports competitions.
Next weekend, he will return to Belgrade for the Indoor Worlds, of which he is the huge favourite.
“
Now we will attack 6.20m, same procedure in two weeks
”, he added, sure of his strength compared to the however solid competition of the American Chris Nilsen, who passed 6.05m Friday at Rouen.
Without limit, he seems able to climb the cursor centimeter after centimeter, like the Ukrainian Sergei Bubka in his time.
“
I have the feeling that I can jump even higher, that all this is still the beginning.
I think I can still try a lot of different things, like crossing 6.20m and going beyond
that,” he explained, still confident in his future progress.
Unbeatable Prodigy
On Monday, in a competition where he was the only pole vaulter of international level, Duplantis was able to focus exclusively on his hunt for the record, easily passing 5.61 m, 5.85 m then 6 m before recovering three times. for the bar at 6.19 m, which shook without falling.
The dark-haired teenager with light eyes had already tackled the 6.19 m earlier in the winter in Karlsruhe (Germany), Berlin, Uppsala (Sweden), then in Birmingham, without success.
A true pole vaulting prodigy, “
Mondo
”, who was born and raised in the United States in Lafayette (Louisiana), competes under the colors of Sweden, the country of his mother, who trains him with his father.
At 22, Duplantis hovers above the competition, having won 32 of his 33 competitions since the start of 2020. He became European champion in 2018 in Berlin at just 18, and won the Olympic title last summer in Tokyo with a jump of 6.02 m.
He is also the holder of the best outdoor performance in history (6.15m in September 2020 in Rome).
After the Indoor Worlds, where he seems unbeatable, he will tackle the Outdoor Worlds in July in Eugene (Oregon), the other title missing from his list.