Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis creates new world record in Glasgow, breaking his own six-day old record

Another earthquake struck the athletics world when American-born pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, who represents his mother’s native land of Poland, created a new world record in the sport with a jump of 6.18 meters. What is incredible is the fact that this record bests the one that the same person set six days ago in another meet by clearing 6.17 meters.

Aged just 20, Duplantis has now gone ahead of legendary names like France’s Renaud Lavillenie and Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka. 6.18 meters now stands as the world record in pole vaulting across indoor and outdoor events. The event where this record was set is an indoor athletics meet in Glasgow.

Duplantis had bettered Lavillenie’s record of 6.16 meters, which was also set indoors in 2014, six days ago in another athletics meet at Torun, Poland. He managed to overcome a height of 6.17 meters on that occasion. Both the Glasgow and Torun events are part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour.

The timing of this feat couldn’t be better for the Swedish vaulter. With the Olympic Games just a few months away, he is emerging as the leading contender for the gold medal. However, achieving such heights in outdoor conditions would be another matter. In those conditions, the record still stands with the legendary Bubka who cleared a height of 6.14.

Duplantis was born in Louisiana to a former American pole vaulter Greg Duplantis and a former Swedish heptathlete Helena Hedlund. He became the European Champion in 2018. “It's something that I wanted since I was three years old. It's a big year, but it's a good way to start it,” Mondo had said after his feat six days ago.

The story is only getting better for him.