Thousands of fans at the Stade de France started clapping slowly in rhythm and singing along to the French song “Alleur de Feu” — “Light the Fire” – as Armand Duplantis was getting ready to leap into history on Monday. The drama unfolded for over a half hour at the end of the night when almost all the track and field events for the day were wrapped up at the Paris Olympics 2024. But, 80,000 spectators, including the King and Queen of Sweden, stayed on their feet to witness the greatest jump by the greatest jumper of contemporary times.
Armand Duplantis had already sealed the victory by defeating American Sam Kendricks, who finished second. But, no one really cared about that part. Everyone was waiting for the record to be shattered by the master of the grand theatre. The bar was raised to a new world record height of 6.25 meters. It was all about Armand Duplantis Vs gravity and the laws of Physics.
He faltered in his first two attempts. The 24-year-old took a deep breath before making his third attempt to clear the historic mark. He then took off the runway and flew over the bar as an ardent crowd cheered for him. When he landed on the padding on the other side, he went into jubilation and arms of his loved ones in the crowd. He has done it again. Armand Duplantis broke his own world record of 6.24m which he set in the Xiamen Diamond League in April this year as he cleared the 6.25m (20 feet, 6 inches) jump. The Swedish pole vaulter sailed higher than any human before, into history and immortality.
Armand Duplantis finished first on the podium in the second successive Olympics. He has presently smashed the world record for the ninth time – by one centimeter each time. The Louisiana-born holds eight world records in four years and nine out of 10 highest vaults in history.
From Humble Beginnings to Immortality for Armand Duplantis
Armand Duplantis, the son of a former pole vaulter, was only four when he got his first exposure to the pole vault. He started his learning curve in the backyard of his house on a pole vault pit in Louisiana. The pole vaulter decided to represent Sweden, her mother’s native country, as a professional track and field athlete.
Duplantis tasted his first real success in 2015 when he became World Youth Champion. He shattered the world record for the first time in 2020 when he soared past the 6.17m mark in the ORLEN Copernicus Cup, Arena. A year later, he won the coveted Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics for the first time. On Monday, he repeated his magic and put his immense athletic skills on display for the world to witness his greatness. Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis entered a league of his own.
