Duplantis retains world indoor pole vault title, no world record

 

Sweden’s Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis battled through an early blip to defend his world indoor pole vault title in Glasgow on Sunday.

Duplantis won with a best clearance of 6.05 metres, going close in three efforts at 6.24m in a bid to better his own world record.

American Sam Kendricks took silver with a best of 5.90m and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis bronze (5.85).

Duplantis came in at 5.65m, sailing over although the landing left the Swede grimacing on the mat, a facial expression that stuck with him through his early efforts as he struggled to find his rhythm.

“It’s not his first rodeo, is it?” said stadium announcer Geoff Wightman over the tannoy with some understatement.

Duplantis then skipped 5.75m with Turkey’s Ersu Sasma and Poland’s Piotr Lisek already having bowed out of competition.

France’s Thibaut Collet, Belgian Ben Broeders and Dutchman Menno Vloon were next to stall as the field thinned.

That left Duplantis in the running with five others: Kendricks and US teammate Chris Nilsen, Australian Kurtis Marschall, Filipino Ernest John Obiena and Karalis.

Kendricks went clear on 5.85, but Duplantis twice brought the bar down, raising fears of his own early demise before sailing over on the third time of asking.

Kendricks was faultless as he went over 5.90m, Duplantis passing at the height, as Obiena, Nilsen, Marschall and then Karalis all headed for an early shower.

Duplantis went over 5.95m at the second time of asking, having seemingly woken up from his earlier morosity.

Kendricks, with two failures, passed his third attempt and the bar was raised to the mythical 6m barrier.

It proved too much for the American and Duplantis automatically went to 6.05m, going clear on the third attempt to rapturous applause.

The bar was then raised to 6.24m, a centimetre higher than Duplantis’ previous best mark.

But despite going close on his three efforts, Duplantis failed to repeat his world record-setting feat in the same arena back in February 2020 — although the record then was 6.18m.

lp/dj

AFP

(NAMPA / AFP)