Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, the reigning Olympic champion, has often said he’s been preparing for this moment all his life. “Back when I was just a kid jumping in my backyard in Louisiana, I’d think about this all the time. I’d imagine I was jumping for an Olympic gold and also the world record,” he’d say. While most kids have fantasies about era-defining sporting achievements, it doesn’t often go much beyond that. Not for Mondo. The 24-year-old has now achieved that childhood dream: winning the Olympic gold medal, setting the Olympic record, and breaking the world record, all in one competition.
Monday evening at the Stade de Paris was a spectacle of anticipation and excitement. With the height of the pole vault bar set at 6.25m – one centimeter more than his own world record – Duplantis had the entire crowd of 69,000 cheering him on. The King of Sweden was in attendance, along with legendary pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, whose tapes Mondo studied obsessively as a kid. The adoration of the crowd was palpable, with even his competitors urging the crowd to cheer him on even louder.
The pole vault, like the high jump, is unique in that the audience is aware of the exact challenge being attempted before the athlete even begins. It builds tension and drama unlike any other track and field event. And no one creates suspense like Duplantis. His performance in Paris was nothing short of extraordinary.
Duplantis’s first vault officially registered him in the competition. His third vault placed him on the podium. His fourth vault secured him an Olympic gold medal. His fifth vault, clearing 6.10m, broke the Olympic record. And finally, his sixth vault, with the bar set at 6.25m, resulted in a new world record. This thrilling sequence unfolded over three hours, with Duplantis calmly observing as his competitors battled for silver and bronze. He knew his fight was with himself, a battle of self-improvement.
He missed his first attempt at 6.25m. His second attempt, while reaching the height, fell short in distance, causing him to land almost on top of the bar. He analyzed the issue with his coach and determined that he needed to adjust the bar’s position. He moved the uprights forward, reducing the distance between the bar and his starting point by 8cm, from 70cm to 62cm. This seemingly small adjustment proved crucial.
Sam Kendricks, a two-time world champion and silver medalist in Paris, attributed Duplantis’s success to four key factors: a great coach, long-term training, high-quality equipment, a love for the sport, and, according to Kendricks, “God’s hand on his back.” This last factor refers to Duplantis’s exceptional speed and power on the runway, which allows him to generate more energy into the pole than his competitors.
As Duplantis sprints towards the pole, it truly feels like he has an otherworldly force behind him. He bends the pole, flips upside down, and is launched skyward. The 8cm adjustment ensures his body curls perfectly over the bar. After what feels like an eternity, he begins his descent, while the crowd erupts in cheers. “Record du Mond” (world record) flashes across the stadium’s big screen.
Duplantis, with a jubilant smile, leaps from the foam pit and sprints towards the photographers. He makes the pistol finger gesture, referencing the viral shooting style of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec from earlier in the Olympics. Mondo has his own viral moment, a perfect culmination of his childhood dreams.
“If I go my entire life and never have another moment like this, I’ll be happy,” he said. It’s clear that Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis has not only achieved his childhood dream but also cemented his place in the history of the sport, leaving an unforgettable mark on the Paris 2024 Olympics.
