Armand Duplantis, the Swedish pole vaulter, broke the world record for the tenth time during the Silesia Diamond League in Chorzow, Poland.
Armand Duplantis breaks own pole vault world record at Silesia Diamond League
Duplantis cleared the height of 6.26 metres in his second attempt, just three weeks after setting a new world record at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Sam Kendricks of the USA and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece completed the podium, mirroring their positions in the Olympic Pole Vault final. Both athletes achieved jumps of 6.00 meters. While Kendricks' jump was a season-best performance, Karalis broke the Greece National Record with his leap.
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Duplantis, the 24-year-old superstar pole vaulter, had electrified the crowd at the Stade de France during the Paris Olympics when he broke the world record for the ninth time. There was a sense that Duplantis had more to achieve. On Wednesday, Duplantis cleared 6.15 meters to win in Lausanne. However, at the Silesia Stadium in Chorzow, after clearing six meters, the bar was raised to 6.26, and the Polish crowd eagerly awaited his attempt.
His first attempt was disappointing, lowering expectations. But then, Duplantis soared over the bar before celebrating his success.
Olympic silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States cleared 6.00 meters but failed at 6.08, securing second place. Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, the Paris bronze medalist, finished third, also clearing six meters.
"This year I focused on the Olympics, the record just came naturally because I was in good shape. So I am not surprised with the record today, but I am thankful," Duplantis said after the match.
"It almost feels weird and unnatural to get so much love and support from the crowds when I compete. I see that especially in Poland. The energy in this stadium just keeps getting better every year. My first world record also came in Poland, indoors in Torun (in 2020), so I have great memories from here," he added.
The crowd had already witnessed Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen break the long-standing 3,000-meter world record. He achieved a time of seven minutes 17.55 seconds, surpassing the previous record set by Kenya's Daniel Komen in 1996 with a time of 7:20.67.
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