Mondo Duplantis Puts A Scare Into The Pole Vault WR

Feb 07, 2020

THIS close to a WR for Duplantis... pic.twitter.com/Cyildr7pGT
-- Athletics World (@Athletics_World) February 4, 2020

By Lincoln Shryack - FloTrack - Link

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Mondo Duplantis' 2020 season got off to a spectacular start on Tuesday in Düsseldorf, Germany, as the 20-year-old and Lafayette (LA) High school graduate very nearly cleared a 6.17m world record bar.

If not for an ill-placed right elbow in his second attempt at the height, Duplantis, who turned pro after his freshman season at LSU -- he recorded both the NCAA indoor and outdoor records in 2018, and reset the World Junior Record that same year -- may have eclipsed Renaud Lavillenie's 6.16m indoor world record from 2014.

That height is the overall pole vault record, as 6.14m by Sergey Bubka is the outdoor mark.

"It almost brought a tear to my eye 'cause you're looking at it and you think 'this is it, this is the world record'. My whole life I wanted to be the world record-holder. I didn't make it of course, but just to be attempting it is a cool moment." -- @mondohoss600 #WorldIndoorTour pic.twitter.com/tKrhM3qk2c
-- World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 4, 2020

Instead, Duplantis had to settle for a 6.00m personal best, a clearance that slots him in a tie for fifth all-time indoors. His indoor and outdoor PBs are now both north of 6.00m as he holds a 6.05m best-- the world junior record-- from 2018.

Duplantis was clearly in rhythm on Tuesday, as he had a ton of room to spare in his clearance at 5.95m.