Armand “Mondo” Duplantis etched his name deeper into athletics history on Monday night as he cleared 6.30m in Tokyo to set his 14th world record and win a third consecutive World Championship pole vault title.
The 25-year-old Swede produced the record-breaking leap on his final attempt.
He thrilled thousands of fans who stayed in Japan’s National Stadium long after other events had ended.
With the clearance, Duplantis became the first man ever to cross the 6.30m barrier, extending his reign as the undisputed king of pole vault.
Duplantis secured gold with a first-time clearance at 6.15m.
He held off Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, who took silver with a personal best 6.08m. Australia’s Kurtis Marschall claimed bronze.
True to the spirit of sportsmanship, Karalis even held a fan for his rival between attempts as the world watched in anticipation.
When the bar was raised to 6.30m, the stadium fell silent before breaking into rhythmic applause at Duplantis’ request.
Moments later, the arena erupted as he soared clear, celebrating yet another milestone in a career defined by dominance.
“It’s better than I could have imagined. To give you guys this world record is amazing. I’m just so happy,” Duplantis told the ecstatic crowd.
The Tokyo triumph was his fourth world record of 2025 and extended his unbeaten streak to 37 competitions.
A run stretching back to July 2023.
Duplantis is already a two-time Olympic champion and winner of every major gold medal available.
