Can ‘Mondo’ Duplantis fill the Bolt void?

Sergey Bubka’s run with the pole was one of athletics’ fascinating sights. Bubka soaring above his world record over and over again was an act that stayed unmatched for years. Till Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, came around.

PREMIUM

The prodigious Swede is in a league of his own setting the bar higher, each time. On Monday, the Olympic champion broke the 6.19 metre barrier in the Belgrade Indoor Meeting, going past his own world record of 6.18m, also set indoors in February 2020 in Glasgow. Duplantis missed the first two attempts before clearing breaking the world record in his third. His knees disturbed the bar but didn’t dislodge it. It was the fourth time in two years that the 22-year-old set a world record.

The Indoor World Championships will be at the same venue in Belgrade from March 18.

Duplantis first soared to a world record in 2020 when he broke London Olympics gold medallist Renaud Lavillenie’s feat by clearing 6.17m in Torun, Poland. Inside a week, he improved it to 6.18m in another indoor meet in Glasgow. In the next seven months, he bettered Sergey Bubka’s outdoor record of 6.14m that had remained unchallenged for 26 years. It was at the Wanda Diamond League event in Rome that Duplantis crossed 6.15m.

“I’ve tried 6.19 meters 50 times. It’s been a long time coming. I’ve never had a height that has given me that much trouble, so it’s a very good feeling. It was really hard fought over these past two years,” he said. “I feel like I can jump a lot higher. I feel like this is just a start.”

Duplantis tried the mark in Tokyo too, once he had sealed his first Olympics gold by crossing 6.02m with astonishing ease. Every time he sped through the runway at the Olympic Stadium, excitement coursed through the handful privileged to have a ringside view. Twice he came close but bar fell with the nudge of his chest.

Like Bubka, Duplantis is competing with himself. He is among the few inspired to run their own race, create space and moments of sheer joy. One of the greatest athletes in that list in recent times will be Usain Bolt, whose exit left a void. Since his record-breaking spree, Duplantis has found himself being called as Bolt’s heir, one who can draw fans to the stadium.

“I don’t blame them for wanting me to have a crazy career like Usain Bolt,” he had told the BBC. “I am going to try and carry the sport as much as I can and I know the best way to do that is to jump really high.”

David Young, a professor of physics at Louisiana State University and a researcher in elite sports performances, says an incredible amount of physics is involved in pole vault. “But to be a really good pole vaulter, one needs the speed of a world class sprinter, ability of a long jumper, agility of a gymnast and the flexibility of a ballerina,” he said.

In a video, Young decoded a Duplantis jump. “At the peak, he goes with the feet first and then bends his body in the shape of an L. This lowers his centre of mass which can then pass beneath the bar. This gives him an extra 5 to 7 inches of height which he can add on to his jump.”

Duplantis was a child prodigy, a rising star and now a phenomenon. Born with athletics genes—father and coach Greg was a pole vaulter with a personal best of 5.80m and mother Helena, a former international heptathlete—Duplantis was four when he first picked the pole. He started by watching his eldest brother Andreas, who has represented Sweden. Soon, Duplantis was breaking world records at different age -group levels. He touched the 6m mark at the European Championships in 2018 and has cleared the barrier 38 times since. Only Bubka has got past the six-metre mark more—46 times.

Experience unrestricted digital access with HT Premium

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.