Pole vault king Armand Duplantis continues winning ways post-Olympics
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Armand Duplantis said the difference between Olympic gold and winning a city event was miles apart, but bizarrely comparable.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LAUSANNE – Armand Duplantis picked up from where he left off at his world record-setting, gold medal-winning showing at the Paris Olympics by dominating the pole vault at the Lausanne Diamond League meet on Aug 21.
The event is the first on World Athletics’ elite circuit since the end of the Games.
Duplantis retained his Olympic gold at the Stade de France in style, improving his own world record
In Lausanne, the Swede took part in a city event on an esplanade bordering Lake Geneva – 24 hours before the main fare at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise..
The runway was raised off the tiled walkway, with thousands of fans packed just metres away, the bar and landing mat placed under a circular tarpaulin, with big screens allowing yet more passers-by a view of the event.
It was once again Duplantis who was streets ahead of the competition, winning with a vault of 6.15m.
“I’m really happy about it. I had a really good time. It was really nice to step out on the track,” he said.
“I don’t want to say that I was worried, but it’s always a bit of a question mark, I guess, the next meet after something like the Olympics, mentally.
“The past two weeks, it’s been hard to wake up... very tired mentally, just exhausted, even this morning.”
Duplantis said the difference between Olympic gold at the Stade de France and winning the city event was miles apart, but bizarrely comparable.
“My last competition, it was like 75,000 people watching me,” the 24-year-old said.
“But you get such a cool connection with the crowd (here) when they’re so close to you, it’s just more of this personal type of feeling. It’s just a really cool thing.
“It’s a really amazing thing and I just love these kind of events.
“It really is a great thing for our sport and a great thing for pole vaulting.”
Only the United States-born Swede and American Sam Kendricks, the silver medallist in Paris, managed to clear 5.92m, the next four all seeing their evening’s work come to a halt at 5.82m.
The bar was raised to 6m, with 2017 and 2019 world champion Kendricks failing at his first attempt, but Duplantis sailing clear.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis competing in the men’s pole vault in Lausanne, on Aug 21.
PHOTO: AFP
Two more failures by Kendricks at the same height left just Duplantis in the competition, as is so often the case.
The bar went up to 6.15m, to rapturous applause from the crowd massed around the runway.
He clipped the bar with his knee on his first attempt, stumbled on his second as the wind picked up, but eventually went over – setting a meet record and celebrating by ripping his shirt free of his shorts and screaming aloud in triumph. AFP
Duplantis’ American rival Sam Kendricks in action in Lausanne.
PHOTO: REUTERS
