In the case of Armand Duplantis, the issue that is seldom asked is not whether he will win, but rather how far he will go. The Swedish athlete, who was 24 years old at the time, had broken the world record for the pole vault eight times, stretching the boundaries of what was possible centimeter by centimeter. And here, on a hot night at the Stade de France, at 10.15 p.m., when the track races had long since concluded and nobody had moved an inch from their seat, he did it once more.
When Duplantis broke the six o’clock mark, the event officially started. In an attempt to compete with him, Emmanouil Karalis of Greece and Sam Kendricks of the United States of America both came up short, receiving bronze and silver, respectively, in the Mondo show that has just concluded.
Following a few brief embraces with his parents in celebration of his gold medal, Duplantis marched across the track and began his work. Thiago Braz had previously set the Olympic record of 6.03 meters in 2016, but you probably assume that Braz had mentally given up on the record by this point. As Duplantis gracefully crossed the 6.10-meter mark with plenty of room to spare, Kendricks energised the crowd.
As a result, it reached a new world record of 6.25 meters. That is the height of a giraffe, which is quite large. When he had two unsuccessful efforts, he laid down and stretched out his back in order to give his body the best possible chance of bending over the bar during his third and final challenge.
The pole that Duplantis was using was lying on his shoulder as he stood at the forefront of the runway. At the same time that volleys of “Allez Mondo!” rattled the stadium, he took a couple of deep breaths and said, “Come on,” to himself. After that, he sprinted, his muscles tense and his hair drifting behind him like Evel Knievel’s cape in the wind. His pole was inserted into the box, and he propelled himself into the air in one fluid action. He then contorted his body into a perfect right angle, and then he whipped his arm away from touch. The bar was completely still.
He was celebrating before gravity threw him onto the mat. Then he was up, letting off a primal roar before rushing into the arms of his girlfriend, the Swedish model and TikTokker Desire Inglander. Abba’s Dancing Queen blared from the speakers as he embarked on a victory lap.
“I don’t know how to put into words what I’m feeling,” Duplantis said after the bedlam subsided. “I feel so grateful for how tonight played out. I didn’t let myself believe that I was Olympic champion until it was all done. I think it’s been such a fight to show up, to be at our best and do it when it matters.
“I feel so grateful for having this come together, a little bit of luck on our side, and being able to walk away on top. It’s just so special.”
At first glance, the pole vault appears to be a ridiculous endeavor. It is the only track and field event for which the most often searched question on Google is “who invented it and why?” On the other hand, it is not only a captivating sport but also a beautiful art in equal measure. In essence, what took place here was that eighty thousand people went completely insane as they witnessed a Swedish man climb the height of a small building with nothing but a stick in his hands.
Due to the fact that Duplantis is the son of a Swedish heptathlete and an American pole vaulter, he has always possessed the necessary components. Nevertheless, ever since he broke Renaud Lavillenie’s record of 6.15 meters in the year 2020, he has discovered means to achieve heights that are beyond anyone’s comprehension.
You are free to choose among the various records and accomplishments that he has accumulated. At the age of 24, he has already won two Olympic titles and two world titles, in addition to an Olympic title. The top ten clearances in the history of clearances are all his. Personally, I find it most impressive that he has not been awarded a silver or bronze medal since the year 2019. Over the course of five years, this was the pinnacle of unrestricted supremacy.
In light of this, the anticipation was quite high, not just to triumph but also to put on a show. The theater was created by Duplantis in Paris.
The pressure is turning out to be my friend. It is one of those things that, if you accept it, can bring out the best in you, and I believe that it is one of those things. During my preliminary, I had the impression that I was working really hard and that I was in the zone. I felt like I was doing really well. That being said, I believe that on my very first throw tonight, I felt the weight of the realization that, “Holy crap, this is the Olympics.”
When my coach got me into a better mentality and we just took it throw by throw, it seemed like things were just clicking, and that stadium filled with 80,000 fans was just going to bring out the best in all of the athletes. “It took me a minute to find my groove, but once my coach got me in that better headspace, we just took it throw by throw.” Please accept my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to participate in such a momentous evening.