Mondo Duplantis has revealed how the promise of a night out with Usain Bolt motivated him to set yet another world record.
The Swedish athlete set a new all-time best in the men’s pole vault for the 12th time in his career as he achieved a clearance of 6.28m at a Diamond League meeting in Stockholm.
Duplantis smashed the world record for the fourth time in less than 12 monthsAFPAnd this one was extra special for Duplantis, as it was the first time he had improved the world’s best in his homeland.
The 25-year-old did so having already sealed victory in the event first, before taking the opportunity to surpass his own record.
He had previously cleared 6.27m at an event in Clermont-Ferrand, France in a previous best effort, back in February.
But Duplantis went one better as he cleared 6.28m in the Swedish capital, sparking wild scenes of celebration.
After ripping his vest off in delight, the Swede ran wildly to his family in the stands, which included his partner, Swedish model Desiré Inglander.
With a raucous home crowd sent into a frenzy by his heroics, Duplantis made sure to take the acclaim. But there was one spectator in particular who he may have to thank for his latest career high.
Among those in attendance in the Olympic Stadium was sprinting legend Usain Bolt, who was spotted speaking to the Swede before he stepped up to compete.
And after leaping to another world’s best, Duplantis revealed it was the prospect of a night on the town with the Jamaican that provided him an extra spring in his step.
Opening up on their interaction, he told Swedish broadcast SVT: “For me it’s pretty cool, actually.
“He said if I break the world record we can party tonight, so I’m sure it’s going to be a fun night with him, but I’m just so happy.”
Duplantis broke the men’s pole vault world record just four months on from last writing his name into the history booksGetty GettyThe Swede delighted in the support of the home crowd[/caption] He had chatted with eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt prior to writing his name into the record books againBolt certainly knows a thing or two about world records, having written his name into the history books a total of eight times across the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay disciplines.
All of these efforts have stood the test of time, with his 9.58 second 100m best and 200m marker of 19.19 both set at the 2009 World Championship still in place 16 years later.
And Duplantis will be hoping to secure a similar legacy to Bolt’s, having already clinched two Olympic gold medals, most recently at Paris 2024, on top of his world record-breaking heroics.
Despite this, he revealed before his latest achievement that breaking the world record in Stockholm ‘felt like the only thing missing’.
And after finally accomplishing his ultimate goal, Duplantis happily shared: “I feel full to the brim right now.”
The athletics star, who was raised in the United States but represents his mother’s native country, added: “I’ve got a lot of family here.”
PA:Press AssociationUsain Bolt is the only athlete to win the Olympic ‘triple double’ – winning 100m and 200m gold in three consecutive Games campaigns[/caption]He went on to reflect: “The first time I jumped in this stadium when I was 11 years old, it was rainy, cold and I jumped right under four metres. It was quite high for how young I was.
“They etch the names of world record holders here. It’s going to be really special to have my name etched in the stadium. It’s the most beautiful stadium, in my biased opinion.
“It’ll be one of the greatest memories for me, I think, in my career.”
Duplantis first broke the world record, then held by Renaud Lavillenie of France, in February 2020 with a 6.17m clearance in Poland.
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