Armand Duplantis breaks new world pole vault record in Clermont-Ferrand

Swedish Armand Duplantis cleared 6.22m to win the World Athletics Indoor Tour silver meeting in Clermont-Ferrand with a new world record at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday night. The 23-year-old Olympic champion added a centimeter to his previous best of 6.21m, which he achieved last year in Oregon.

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"When you have moments like this, when the energy is so high, and you're going down there for the record, it feels like levitating, it feels like my body never even touched the ground the whole jump. There's something about it that just feels overwhelming right now, and I really think it's because Renaud means so much to me, he's meant so much to me since I first started, he's been my biggest inspiration, biggest idol."

Duplantis said.

In Clermont-Ferrand, Armand Duplantis entered the competition with a distance of 5.71 meters and cleared that height on his first attempt, and then went on to win the gold with a distance of 6.01 meters in one attempt. Armand Duplantis then lifted the bar to 6.22m, knocked the bar in his first two attempts, and succeeded in his third attempt. The record also marked Duplantis' 60th career clearance over six meters. Australia's Kurtis Marschall and Netherlands' Menno Vloon were second and third, respectively. In the women's section, Amálie Švábíková won with a throw of 4.66m.

It was the sixth time that Armand Duplantis has broken the world record. He set the first in Torun in February 2020, when he cleared 6.17m to add a centimetre to Lavillenie's previous world record of 6.16m that had stood since 2014.

"Each world record feels like it brings something a bit different out of me. Maybe the first one might have been a bit crazier, but this might be number two right now, it's really unbelievable."

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"The pressure doesn't really feel the same anymore to me. I've proved a lot the past few years, the past two years especially, and I know what kind of jumper I am, what I am capable of. I know that I am deserving to be in the spot that I am." He further added.