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Armand Duplantis

sports Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Armand Gustav "Mondo" Duplantis is a professional pole vaulter representing Sweden.

Armand Duplantis - Olympic Games - 03.08.2024
Armand Duplantis - Olympic Games - 03.08.2024

He is widely regarded as the greatest pole vaulter of all time. Duplantis holds the current world record in the sport. He has also secured nine senior global titles during his career. His achievements include winning two Olympic gold medals in 2020 and 2024. He is a three-time World outdoor champion and a four-time World indoor champion.

Armand Duplantis Budapest 2023
Armand Duplantis Budapest 2023

His dominance is reflected in his many awards, including being named World Athlete of the Year multiple times.

Pole vaulting is a highly technical track and field event. An athlete must sprint down a runway to build momentum. They then plant a long, flexible pole into a box. The pole bends under the athlete's weight and energy. This tension catapults the vaulter upward toward a horizontal crossbar. The goal is to clear the bar without knocking it down. Duplantis has mastered this complex movement to an unprecedented degree. He has cleared heights of six metres or higher more than any other athlete in history.

Duplantis's career is defined by his ability to constantly raise the standard of the sport. In 2020, the world record stood at 6.17 metres. By 2026, Duplantis had pushed that record to 6.31 metres. He has set a total of 15 world records throughout his career. His consistency is remarkable, as he has cleared six metres or higher for eight continuous seasons. As of March 2026, he accounted for 36 of the 49 successful vaults above six metres recorded in history.

WK040289 polsstok duplantis
WK040289 polsstok duplantis

His rise to prominence began during his youth in the United States. Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1999, he grew up in an athletic family. His father, Greg Duplantis, was a former pole vaulter. His mother, Helena, was a former heptathlete and volleyball player. Mondo began vaulting at just four years old. He held world best marks for every age group from seven to twelve. In 2015, at age 15, he won the World Youth Championships.

Armand Duplantis in 2019-7
Armand Duplantis in 2019-7

This early success foreshadowed his future professional dominance.

Though born in America, Duplantis chose to compete internationally for Sweden. He is a citizen of both the United States and Sweden. He decided to represent Sweden partly because the national coach, Jonas Anshelm, recruited him. Anshelm also invited Duplantis's father to join the Swedish coaching staff. Duplantis felt a strong connection to Sweden through his mother and his grandparents. He spent many summers with his Swedish family. This decision allowed him to begin competing at the elite European level very early.

Duplantis achieved several historic milestones during his transition to senior competition. In 2018, he won the European Championships in Berlin. At 18 years old, he became the youngest person to win a men's field event in that championship's 84-year history. That same year, he became the youngest athlete to join the exclusive 6.00 metre club.

2018 European Athletics Championships Day 7 (45)
2018 European Athletics Championships Day 7 (45)

He also won the World U20 Championship in Tampere, Finland. These victories proved he could compete against much older, more experienced athletes.

His success is not limited to major championships like the Olympics. Duplantis has also been a dominant force in the Diamond League. He is a five-time Diamond League Champion, winning the final event for five consecutive years from 2021 to 2025. His performance in 2022 was particularly extraordinary. That year, he broke world records three times. He also cleared heights of six metres or higher 22 times during that single season.

Armand Duplantis jumps 6.0 m, August 24 2019
Armand Duplantis jumps 6.0 m, August 24 2019

This level of performance earned him both European and World Male Athlete of the Year honors.

Today, Duplantis belongs to a very small group of elite athletes. He is one of only four men to have vaulted above six metres. The other three men are Emmanouil Karalis, Renaud Lavillenie, and Sergey Bubka. While others have reached these heights, Duplantis has done so with unmatched frequency. He has transformed the sport by single-handedly raising the bar for what is considered possible. His career continues to redefine the limits of human athleticism and technical precision.

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🖼️ Images & Media (10)
File:Athletics pictogram.svg
Athletics pictogram.svg
File:WK040289 polsstok duplantis.jpg
WK040289 polsstok duplantis.jpg
File:2018 European Athletics Championships Day 7 (45).jpg
2018 European Athletics Championships Day...
File:Armand Duplantis jumps 6.0 m, August 24 2019.jpg
Armand Duplantis jumps 6.0 m, August 24 2019.jpg
File:Armand Duplantis in 2019-7.jpg
Armand Duplantis in 2019-7.jpg
File:Armand Duplantis at the 2020 Bauhaus Galan meeting in Stockholm.jpg
Armand Duplantis at the 2020 Bauhaus...
File:EKZA0286 polevault final duplantis (52342027800).jpg
EKZA0286 polevault final duplantis...
File:Armand Duplantis Budapest 2023.jpg
Armand Duplantis Budapest 2023.jpg
File:Armand Duplantis - Olympic Games - 03.08.2024.jpg
Armand Duplantis - Olympic Games - 03.08.2024.jpg
File:Dalahästen i Avesta 03.jpg
Dalahästen i Avesta 03.jpg
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