"Mondo, Mondo, Mondo..." - that's the chant the whole Stade de France echoed with, in the wee hours of Monday (August 5) night as world record holder Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis was man on a mission in men's pole vault final at the Paris Olympics. Duplantis not only retained his Gold medal but also shattered the Olympic and world record in a superhuman effort of flying over the bar at a height of 6.25m. The Swedish athlete had already clinched the Gold medal with a 6.00m jump but he was just getting started.
Duplantis first broke the Olympic record with a 6.10m jump before the previously eight-time world record-breaker, did it for the ninth time crossing his own mark of 6.24m he set at the Xiamen Diamond League in April earlier this year.
Breaking the world record is one thing but what followed was a different experience altogether not just for anyone at Stade de France but also for those watching on their televisions and screens. The moment Duplantis landed after the jaw-dropping 6.25m jump, he knew he had done something special. He ran through the track towards his family, obliged the fans and then came up with the strange celebration as he imitated Turkish Yusuf Dikec's stance of hand in the pocket and the other hand had its fingers and thumb in the gun gesture. It was a mad moment as the crowd matched their excitement with Duplantis' own.
Just 24, Duplantis' second Gold medal is now alongside Golds at past three world championships. USA's Sam Kendricks won the Silver medal with 5.95m jump while Greece's Emmanouil Karalis clinched bronze at 5.90m. The moment became more special as Kendricks, a world champion in 2017 and 2019 and Olympic bronze medallist in 2016 clapped and applauded his heart out for Duplantis.
Duplantis had started with a 5.70m jump but he was just getting started as he quickly crossed the 5.80m and 5.85m marks and the rest, as they say, his history.
