Sweden's Armand Duplantis breaks pole vault world record: Details here
Sweden's Armand Duplantis set a world pole vault record of 6.17 metres at an indoor meeting in Poland on Saturday. He achieved the milestone at the Copernicus Cup in Torun. The 20-year-old who won silver at last year's World Championships in Doha, cleared the bar on his second attempt. Here are further details on Duplantis.
Duplantis breaks Renaud Lavillenie's record
Duplantis smashed the record at the venue which will host next year's European Athletics Indoor Championships. The Swedish athlete produced an unforgettable moment in the history of the sport Duplantis broke the previous record of 6.16m set by French vaulter Renaud Lavillenie in February 2014. Lavillenie had achieved the mark in Donetsk, Ukraine.
I don't think everything has sunk in, says Duplantis
Duplantis said he needs to let this moment sink in. "I don't think everything has sunk in, I feel like I'm hallucinating!," Duplantis told Polish television after achieving the world record. "It doesn't even feel like my feet are on the ground. It feels like I'm in a fake world right now, I need to let this sink in," he added.
Duplantis had always wanted to break the world record
Duplantis claimed he always wanted to break the world record. "Ever since I started vaulting in my backyard, when I was in diapers, I wanted to be the best that's ever lived - to break the world record. I don't know how to explain the feeling, it's something I have been shooting for since I was three years old," the US-born athlete said.
Duplantis is the favorite to win the Olympics 2020 title
Duplantis had almost broken the record at a meeting in Duesseldorf last week. His performance makes him an outright favorite for the Olympic title in Tokyo this year. In 2018, he won the European outdoor title in Berlin with a vault of 6.05m, a world junior record. He is coached by his father Greg, who himself was a pole vaulter, who cleared 5.80m.
Lavillenie isn't surprised after Duplantis breaks his world record
Lavillenie, who was the 2012 Olympic champion, said he was not surprised his record had been eclipsed. "It's not a surprise. For two years now I knew he had the potential," the 33-year-old Frenchman told RMC Sports.
