On Saturday, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis set yet another world record in pole vaulting at the first Diamond League meeting of the season in Xiamen, China. At just 24 years old, Duplantis has now cleared the bar at an impressive 6.24 meters, which is eight centimeters higher than anyone else has ever achieved. This latest accomplishment further solidified his dominance in the sport, with over 40 centimeters separating him from his nearest competitor.
After setting the new world record, Duplantis jumped off the mat and ran over to celebrate with his team and salute the crowd. Despite already holding eight world records, he remains determined to improve and reach his peak level before the Paris Olympic Games. In an interview with CNN in April, Duplantis stated that he knows what he needs to do to get into those 6.30-type marks and wants to be dominant in the sport because he knows that’s what he’s capable of.
Meanwhile, other events of the evening saw Christian Coleman of the USA win the men’s 100 meters with a time of 10.13 seconds, followed by Fred Kerley in second place and Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake in third. Torrie Lewis of the USA took her first Diamond League victory in the women’s 200 meters, surprising the favorites and making her mark on the world stage. Sha’Carri Richardson finished second after Lewis’ late charge.
