Mondo Duplantis Breaks World Record for 12th Time – 6.28m in Stockholm

If I told you that Armand “Mondo” Duplantis broke the world record, you may fairly assume that you’re reading an old news story. But no. This evening at the Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm, he added another centimeter to his record with a jump of 6.28m

Duplantis broke the world record for the twelfth time in his career, and he seems poised to keep adding on to this height, based on his clearance over 6.28 meters and some of his other world record heights.

Duplantis entered the competition at 5.60 meters, the second height after the opener of 5.45 meters. He cleared it with ease on his first attempt and went on to clear every height on his first attempt, perfectly clearing 5.80, 5.90, 6.00, and 6.28 meters.

It was his first time improving the record in Sweden, the country he competes for, and his mother’s homeland.

In the pre-competition press conference, Duplantis said, “My biggest dream now—I feel like the only thing I’m missing—is to break the record here at Stockholm Stadium.”

The record came in front of friends and family in a sold-out stadium.

“The first time I jumped in this stadium when I was 11 years old it was rainy, cold and I jumped right under 4m. It was quite high for how young I was. I’ve jumped a lot here and they etch the names of World Reord holders here. The last one was a long time ago,” said Duplantis after the competition. 

Australia’s Kurtis Marschall got second, clearing 5.90 meters on his second attempt. Former record holder Renaud Lavillenie and Menno Vloon would both clear 5.80 meters, with Vloon getting third on countbacks.

Pole Vault Record Progression

Here’s a look at the pole vault progression since 2014.

Following in Sergei Bubka’s Footsteps

Remarkably, Duplantis’ 12 world records aren’t the most times the pole vault record has been broken by one person.

Sergey Bubka raised the record from 5.85 meters to 6.14 meters between 1984 and 1994, breaking the record 17 times in total. Although, his streak of records was briefly interrupted by the French jumper Thierry Vigneron. Vigneron broke the record a few minutes before Bubka, clearing 5.91 meters, but Bubka would also clear this height and regain his record again with a 5.94-meter clearance.