Star man makes his dream come true by breaking the pole vault world record in front of his home crowd
For a man who always seems so laidback and unhurried, Mondo Duplantis has been on a fast track to producing an extraordinary body of sporting work. The Olympic Stadium in Stockholm has borne witness to many remarkable moments since it was opened for the 1912 Games, but the darling of the home crowd breaking the pole vault world record for a 12th time with a clearance of 6.28m on Sunday (June 15) – and at the first time of asking – must surely rank high among them all.
There is a “walk of fame” on the way into the arena to commemorate notable achievements to have taken place within its walls. It won’t be long until Duplantis’ name is carved into that pantheon.
The significance and weight of that is part of the reason why Duplantis wanted to break the world record in the city he calls home and at the Bauhaus Galan Diamond League meeting. He might have been born in Louisiana, but with a Swedish mother and extended family, he chose to compete internationally for the Scandinavian nation and in a stadium where he first competed at the age of 11.
This was, as he put it, his “big dream” and it became reality in remarkable style. Many of that extended family were there to see it for themselves, too.
Duplantis entered the competition at 5.60m, which he cleared with little trouble. The same applied for his subsequent leaps of 5.70m, 5.80m, 5.90m and 6.00m. By then the competition was comfortably won, with Australian Kurtis Marschall the opponent who got closest with his clearance of 5.90m.
That left the stage clear for the star man to do “the thing” and the bar went straight to 6.28m, once centimetre higher than the mark he set indoors in France earlier this year. There have been occasions, such as during the Paris Olympics last summer, when the two-time outdoor world champion has heightened the drama by breaking the world record with his very last attempt. This time, he needed just one.
“I feel full to the brim right now,” he said, as the dust settled after the raucous celebrations during which he tore off his shirt and ran into the crowd.
“The first time I jumped in this stadium when I was 11 years old it was rainy, cold and I jumped right under 4m. It was quite high for how young I was. I’ve jumped a lot here and they etch the names of world record holders here.
“The last one was a long time ago. My mum was in the stands when Patrik Sjöberg broke the [high jump] world record in 1986. I think there’s a common denominator here, she’s a lucky charm. It’s going to be really special to have my name etched in the stadium. It’s the most beautiful stadium in my biased opinion. It’ll be one of the greatest memories for me in my career.”
The two-time Olympic champion is a keen musician and even released a track called Bop earlier this year. He insists there is another on the way soon. When it comes to the day job, he just produces hit after hit.
