Mondo Duplantis and the Artwork of Making Historical past Look Straightforward
“Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night time.” Mondo Duplantis isn’t simply rewriting the pole vault document books—he’s creating a brand new chapter the place nobody else may even flip the web page. On Friday, February 28, 2025, in Clermont-Ferrand, France, the 24-year-old Olympic and world champion set his eleventh world document, clearing 6.27 meters with an ease that just about made the not possible look routine.
His opponents? They’re combating for second place in a race that was determined years in the past. The subsequent finest jumper in historical past, France’s Renaud Lavillenie, topped out at 6.16 meters. That was the gold commonplace—till Duplantis got here alongside and raised the bar, actually and figuratively. Now, the game isn’t about who wins however how a lot increased Duplantis will go. And if historical past tells us something, it’s that he’s not executed but.
Watching Duplantis in motion is like watching a virtuoso at work. He entered the competitors at 5.65 meters, clearing it with the identical ease as a warmup leap. Then got here 5.91 meters, 6.02 meters, and 6.07 meters, all conquered on his first try. After which, with the bar at 6.27 meters, he did what he’s executed so many occasions earlier than—sailed over it, untouched, and landed with a smile that stated he wasn’t in the least shocked.
At this level, the one actual query is: How excessive can he go? The hypothesis isn’t unfounded. Given his speedy development and technical mastery, 6.35 meters appears attainable and possible. That might put him in a league of his personal—not that he isn’t already. Duplantis has redefined pole vaulting in a method few athletes have ever remodeled their sports activities. Take into consideration Michael Jordan’s affect on basketball or Usain Bolt’s dominance in sprinting. The distinction? Duplantis doesn’t actually have a challenger. He’s the usual.
Within the eleventh world document of his profession, @mondohoss600 continues to impress! On Feb. 28, Mondo cleared 6.27 meters ( 20 toes, 6.5 inches). Simply how excessive will the Swedish famous person go? @PUMARunning, https://t.co/EGmn8Sx94L
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) March 5, 2025
It’s not nearly how excessive he jumps however how he does it. Duplantis combines precision with uncooked athleticism, a uncommon mixture of velocity, energy, and near-perfect method. His method on the runway appears extra like a sprinter in full flight than a vaulter making ready for takeoff. That velocity and refined mechanics enable him to transform horizontal velocity into vertical top higher than anybody who has ever held a pole.
After which there’s his consistency. The very best pole vaulters in historical past would possibly hit a lifetime-best leap a few times of their careers. Duplantis? He’s made breaking world information really feel routine. He doesn’t simply intention for private bests—he expects them. That’s why betting in opposition to him feels silly. He’s taken a sport constructed on acceptable margins and blown these margins away.
However maybe probably the most staggering a part of Duplantis’s rise is what it’s executed to the remainder of the sphere. Six males cleared 5.91 meters in Clermont-Ferrand—a historic feat—but none had been ever in competition for first place. By way of no fault of their very own, they’re competing in a special competitors.
Allow us to start the 12 months with a Mondo Duplantis interview from his #Silesia assembly, the place he set the world document! Mondo has a busy indoor season! We cannot wait to see the Swedish famous person! Interview courtesy of #DiamondLeagueAG #PUMA, #MondoDuplantis, #runblogrun, pic.twitter.com/CQgPiJQDJA
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) January 8, 2025
That is what true dominance appears like. It’s not simply profitable—redefining the dialog so totally that profitable turns into the expectation. And when the expectation is a world document almost each time you step on the runway, the game has formally entered a brand new period.
Mondo Duplantis isn’t simply the very best pole vaulter of his era. He’s the very best pole vaulter of any era. And 6.35 meters? That’s simply the following step in a profession already pushing the boundaries of what we thought was attainable.
