Record-breaker Armand Duplantis soars to Olympic pole vault gold

PARIS – Armand Duplantis fulfilled a childhood dream as he broke his own pole-vault world record in retaining his Olympic crown on Aug 5, as Keely Hodgkinson won Britain’s first gold of the Paris Games on the track with a sensational 800m final victory.

Swedish star Duplantis cemented his status as the greatest pole vaulter in history with a superb display, blowing the roof off the Stade de France with a final leap of 6.25 metres.

The 24-year-old is the first man to win consecutive Olympic pole-vault golds since American Bob Richards, who achieved the feat with victories in 1952 and 1956.

In perfect, warm conditions, Duplantis never looked like being threatened by his rivals as he clinched victory.

The only suspense in a dominant performance was whether he could break his own world record, and he duly delivered with his third and final attempt, beating his previous best of 6.24m to roars of appreciation from the crowd.

American Sam Kendricks won silver with a best of 5.95m, and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis took bronze (5.90m).

“What can I say? I just broke a world record at the Olympics, biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter,” Duplantis said after his incredible performance.

“The biggest dream since a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I’ve been able to do that in front of the most ridiculous crowd I’ve ever competed in front of.”

Still only 24, Duplantis is now the world-record holder, two-time Olympic, two-time world, triple European and double indoor world champion.

“I haven’t processed how fantastic that moment was,” he added of his win.

“It’s one of those things that don’t really feel real, such an out-of-body experience.

“I felt really prepared. I’ve never been so locked in my life than in these past three months. Now I’m just ready to eat a bunch of food. The party is going to be pretty big.”

His gold was one of four titles up for grabs at the Stade de France on Aug 5.

On the track, British middle-distance runner Hodgkinson finally ended her long wait to capture a major global championship title with gold in the 800m.

The 22-year-old, who had claimed three consecutive silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, led from start to finish to win in 1min 56.72sec.

Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma claimed silver in 1:57.15sec and Kenya’s Mary Moraa took bronze (1:57.42sec).

“I have worked really hard for the last year and I think you can see how much it meant to me when I crossed the line. I can’t believe I have finally done it,” Hodgkinson told the BBC after her triumph.

In the women’s 5,000m, Kenya’s “smiling assassin” Beatrice Chebet dethroned the Netherlands’ defending champion Sifan Hassan with a tactical masterclass.

The pre-race hype had focused on the Ethiopian-born Hassan’s attempt to win an improbable treble of 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon golds at the same Olympics.

But her dream of emulating Czech great Emil Zatopek – who completed the same triple at the 1952 Helsinki Games – was put to bed ruthlessly by Chebet.

The 24-year-old 10,000m world-record holder bided her time before accelerating past compatriot Faith Kipyegon down the home straight to win in 14min 28.56sec.

Kipyegon, the 5,000m world champion, crossed the finish line in second place but was initially disqualified for a shove on Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay with two laps to go. But she was reinstated on appeal, leaving Hassan with bronze.

In the women’s discus, American Valarie Allman retained her Olympic crown comfortably with a throw of 69.50m.

China’s Feng Bin won silver with a best effort of 67.51m. World champion Sandra Elkasevic of Croatia also threw 67.51m but had to settle for bronze because Feng’s second-best effort topped the Croat’s. AFP, REUTERS