Mondo Duplantis is accustomed to breaking pole vault world records but insists setting his 14th was “way more special”.
The Swede cleared 6.30 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, on his third attempt after successfully defending his world title with a first-time clearance of 6.15m. Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis claimed silver with a six-metre vault.
But every one of the enraptured 53,124 spectators inside the Japan National Stadium knew the real battle would be between Duplantis and himself.
“For sure, it’s way more special,” said Duplantis, when asked to compare the feeling of breaking records at world championships and Olympics to other events.
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“It’s night and day. I don’t think it’s really even comparable.
“Of course it’s going to make the biggest splash, because this is our most important competition of the year, and that’s where the most eyeballs are going to be watching me too.
“A lot of people probably saw it on Instagram or whatever when I broke other world records, but there’s a lot more people watching this one live, and in that way it’s a lot more impressive.
“But the 6.30, it sounds really nice. It just sounds super clean, and a new barrier for our sport.”
The 25-year-old’s latest feat also comes with a US dollars 100,000 (£73,514) world record bonus.
The final, despite leading to what felt like a foregone conclusion, was one of record depth, the first time seven men have cleared 5.90m or higher in a single competition.
Australian Kurtis Marschall claimed bronze with a best effort of 5.95m.
Duplantis sealed the first of his eight major senior international titles at the same venue in 2021, and revealed going for the record – an attempt he had no doubt would happen on Monday night – actually felt easier than defending his Eugene and Budapest crowns.
“I think the pressure is probably even a little bit let off, in some ways, because I’ve already won the competition,” he said. “That’s first and foremost the most important thing that I need to do.
“After that, it’s more just like a cherry on top. Dessert after (dinner), basically. So I just try to put my best jumps together, and I feel like everything after that is a bit of a blur, in a way.
“It’s like a bonus round you get to play around with. I do enjoy that moment very much. It’s like, ‘it’s world record time.’”
Duplantis admitted he finds it difficult to allow himself time to enjoy his achievements before thinking about “the next thing, always.”
He added: “I’ll give it at least a really good night.”
