The pole vault competition was two hours and 20 minutes old when Mondo Duplantis finally got serious at these World Athletics Championships. The bar had just been raised to six metres. So Mondo reached into his kitbag and dug out the Claw.
It is his weird looking special shoe, with a spike protruding from the front of it like a medieval torture implement – and the 25‑year‑old Swede takes it out only on those occasions when he sniffs a world record in the air.
At this point five men were still jousting for the world title. But after Duplantis had breezed clear at 6m, 6.10m and 6.15m his eighth consecutive global title – and a $70,000 (£51,000) first prize – was secured. Now history was calling.
There was a nod to the official, the bar was pushed to 6.30m, and there was a 14th world record to chase.
Duplantis uses the Claw shoes because it means that in his 20 strides he can get up to speed quicker, plant the pole faster and soar even higher – providing the technique is right.
“Whenever I think that I have a chance to break world records I do bring out the Claw,” Duplantis said. “I don’t do it every time, but when it comes out, then you know it’s business time. I can really feel the benefit from the very beginning of the running, and the way that I’m able to push the first few steps and build up speed.”
Duplantis does not wear it all the time, however, partly because the first version, introduced last year, had a metal spike that would lacerate his hand or arm on the way up.
Nowadays the spike is not so sharp, according to Puma’s vice-president of innovation, Romain Girard. “In the latest iteration we have, the claw is actually a kind of a little condom, or kind of a shell made of rubber,” he said. “So it makes sure it protects him.”
However, Duplantis has an established routine and he wanted to stick to it. The Swede’s first attempt failed by the tiniest of margins. The second, in which he brushed the bar on the way up only to see it fall in a delayed reaction, was even closer.
By now all of his competitors were watching by the runway and willing him on. The Greek athlete Emmanouil Karalis, who had taken silver after clearing 6m, even used an electric fan in his face to cool Duplantis down.
The Swede wasn’t finished yet. He reached for another weapon, a stiffer pole to help him to get higher. As he began those 20 steps to glory the crowd roared at first, then gasped, before the roar jumped in volume and intensity.
Duplantis was over. He had done it again. He has always been one of the ultimate showmen in track and field. Now he had summoned one of the greatest moments in the 42-year history of the world championships – and another $100,000 for breaking the record.
After landing he immediately ran to group-hug his fellow competitors, who were all jumping for joy too. The crowd’s cheers had barely subsided when Duplantis was off again: charging around the track, punching the sky. Several TV camera operators tried to chase him down but good luck with that given the amount of adrenaline rampaging through his body.
He ran to his fiancee, Desiré Inglander and gave her a lengthy kiss – then he made it clear to the 60,000 crowd that he loved them, too.
“I am just so happy,” Duplantis said. “I wanted to come back to Tokyo because I knew it was a wonderful city. But it’s better than I ever imagined. This is the biggest dream ever to come true for me.”
As at the Paris Olympics last year, the world was privileged to share it with him too.
Meanwhile, there was a major surprise in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase as the double Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali was beaten by the New Zealander Geordie Beamish, who had been spiked in the face during the heats.
“This was a turn-up, wasn’t it?” Beamish said. “That was pretty unreal. I only knew I’d win one metre before the finish and that was enough. It’s the first track gold for New Zealand at a world championships, which is pretty cool.”
In the women’s 100m hurdles, Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji won gold in 12.24sec, ahead of 2022 champion Tobi Amusan’s 12.29.
All three British runners in the men’s 1500m qualified for the final on Wednesday and for Josh Kerr, Neil Gourley and Jake Wightman, their chances of a medal increased when the Olympic champion Cole Hocker was disqualified for barging a competitor out of the way.
“Wednesday’s shaping up to be a fantastic event,” Kerr, the defending champion, said. “I’ve done a fair few of them, so I’m excited.” He has in fact now made six consecutive major finals in the event across the world championships and Olympics. “That consistency is not easy to come by.”
