Duplantis sets Euro meet mark in winning pole vault yet again

MUNICH • World and Olympic pole vault champion Armand "Mondo" Duplantis retained his European title in comprehensive fashion in Munich on Saturday, while the irrepressible Dutch runner Femke Bol sealed her third gold of the continental championships.

Sweden's Duplantis, fresh from breaking his own world record in Eugene, Oregon, as he clinched the gold with a 6.21m leap last month, set a European championship record of 6.06m at the Olympic Stadium.

"It was great. The goal going into today was to try to win and breaking my own championship record was the cherry on the top," he said.

Coming into the continental showpiece, Duplantis was on an 18-competition winning streak. He was, once again, a class apart from a field that struggled throughout in cool, damp conditions.

"I felt like I jumped very well, I can't complain," the 22-year-old said, adding a shot at the world record was never likely.

"It didn't seem like it was really on the cards today. Sometimes, it's like that, it's not for every day."

There was Dutch delight in the women's 4x400m relay, with Bol producing an outstanding anchor leg to seal victory in 3min 20.87sec for her third gold of the meet.

In arguably the most packed schedule of any athlete in Munich, she had already sealed a double by winning the 400m and her more favoured 400m hurdles.

Bol, 22, took hold of the relay baton in third place on the final leg, biding her time before smoothly moving into the second lane and motoring away from her rivals. Poland (3:21.68) and Britain (3:21.74) finished second and third respectively.

"It was such an amazing race," said Bol, who won the 400m hurdles bronze at last year's Tokyo Olympics. "I really love to run with my girls and against other runners. This championship feels special to me."

Britain took gold in the men's 4x400m relay in 2:59.35.

Individual 400m gold medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith ran a strong opening leg for the team and Alex Haydock-Wilson was steady on the anchor leg as they finished 0.14sec and 0.29sec ahead of Belgium and France respectively.

More British gold came thanks to Keely Hodgkinson, following fast in the footsteps of teammate and 1,500m winner Laura Muir, by confirming her impressive year with her 800m victory in 1:59.04.

Hodgkinson won silver medals in Tokyo and at last month's world championships in Oregon - twice behind two-time American Olympic gold medallist Athing Mu.

"It's more of a mental thing coming into this being my third championships in 41/2 weeks, so it's definitely about picking myself up and focus," said the 20-year-old.

"It is still very tough competition out there, so I made sure I was on the ball - I am just happy I executed well and managed to come away with a gold medal."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE