Mondo Duplantis shattered the world pole vault record by clearing 6.24 meters at the Wanda Diamond League opener in Xiamen, China, on Saturday. This stellar performance adds another centimeter to the record previously set by the Swedish Olympic and world champion.
The 24-year-old Swedish pole vaulter, who is both the Olympic and world champion, eclipsed his 2023 previous record by 1 centimeter. Entering the competition at 5.62m and clearing 5.82m and 6.00m on the first tries, Duplantis achieved his world record feat on his first attempt before opting to conclude the event.
“I feel very good. It’s my first time ever to be in China, and I win as well as I could have imagined. Amazing stadium, amazing crowd, great energy and great weather,” Duplantis expressed, following his historic performance.
“This result is more than what I wanted it to be, so I was very excited about it,” he added.
“This my first time to jump in China. You always get a bit nervous when you jump in front of a new crowd, because it’s people that haven’t seen you do what you can do. So I really want to show the people here.
Last month, he retained his world indoor title in Glasgow with a clearance of 6.10 meters, setting the stage for his continued success on the outdoor circuit.
Duplantis, who has now broken the world record eight times, had his initial breakthrough in 2020 with a 6.17-meter vault in Torun. His record-breaking attempt in Xiamen marks only the second occasion he has commenced his outdoor season clearing six meters or more, the first being a 6.02 meters success at the 2022 Doha Diamond League.
With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, where Duplantis is set to defend his title, this early season record suggests that the pole vaulting phenom is poised for another dominant year.
Meanwhile, USA’s Sam Kendricks finished second to Duplantis at the Xiamen Diamond League with a clearance of 5.82m, while China’s Huang Bokai finished third with 5.72m.
*Note: As always, the record is subject to the usual ratification process by World Athletics.
