Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis broke his own world pole vault record with a 6.19-meter clearance at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting. Duplantis set the record of 6.18 in February 2020 indoors in Glasgow.
“I've tried 6.19 meters 50 times,” the Swede said. “It's been a long time coming. I've never had a height that has given me that much trouble, so it's a very good feeling. It was really hard fought over these past two years. I'm really happy.”
With all of his opponents finished, Duplantis opened his series with 5.61, 5.85 and 6.00 all on his first tries.
At 6.19, he missed his first two attempts. On his third and final try, he nudged the bar slightly with his knees but it remained in place. He leaped up from the landing mat and punched the air in celebration.
He will return to the same Stark Arena in the Serbian capital this month for the world indoor championships starting on March 18.
(Reported by AP)
