Pole vault sensation Armand Duplantis was unable to break his own world record in front of his home crowd on Thursday, failing to clear an ambitious 6.28m after three attempts. Just two weeks ago, the 25-year-old had set his 11th world record with a 6.27m clearance in Clermont, France.
On home soil in Sweden, Duplantis had to settle for a victory with a clearance of 6.05m. Despite the missed opportunity for a new record, Duplantis expressed a mix of emotions after the event. “I’m a little annoyed but happy at the same time because it was a great competition, and I did my best,” he told SVT. “I shouldn’t complain, it was like an Olympic final.”
Duplantis started strong, clearing 5.65m on his first attempt, followed by successful jumps at 5.90m and 6.00m. He was the only athlete to clear 6.05m before attempting the 6.28m mark, but despite the roaring support from the crowd and his fellow competitors, he couldn’t reach the height.
Looking ahead, Duplantis will have another shot at breaking the record at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, later this month, where he aims to surpass his season goal of 6.30m.
Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, the recent European indoor champion, finished in second place with a 6.00m clearance, while the United States’ Sam Kendricks took third with 5.90m.
