Pole Vault King Duplantis Aims High in Poland
Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis returns to Torun, Poland, for world indoors after setting 6.31m world record in Uppsala.
Duplantis eyes next milestone as he heads to venue of his first world record in Poland...
Pole vault king Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis is excited to return to the site of his first world record this week, just days after setting a new record of 6.31 meters in Uppsala, Sweden. This achievement marks his 15th world record in the event, solidifying his dominance in pole vaulting.
Duplantis' latest record-breaking jump was at the Mondo Classic, where he cleared 6.31 meters on his first attempt. He has consistently pushed the boundaries of the sport, improving his own record by 1 centimeter each time.
His victory in Uppsala was his 38th consecutive victory in competition dating back to the summer of 2023.
The double Olympic gold medallist (2021, 2024) is also the three-time world outdoor champion (2022, 2023, 2025).
In addition, he is a three-time world indoor champ (2022, 2024, 2025) and heads to Torun, Poland, for this season's world indoors as firm favourite at a venue he knows well.
“Torun is a very special place for me since I broke my first world record there,” Duplantis said on Sunday in reference to the 6.17m he cleared in February 2020 to better by 1cm Renaud Lavillenie's previous world best.
“I've been fortunate enough to break a few since then, but the first one's always a very life-changing moment.
“You go from, in one instance being not the world record holder, to the world record holder, which is one of my biggest childhood dreams.”
The central Polish city hosting the March 20-22 world indoors is “a very special place for me as an athletem,” Duplantis said.
“I'm just really excited for it, honestly, and especially after what I was able to do just now in Uppsala.”
Laser Focus
Since breaking the world record in Torun six years ago, Duplantis has single-handedly raised the bar, showcasing stunning consistency with 79 competitions over eight straight seasons clearing 6.00m.
But the 26-year-old, born in Louisiana to an American father and Swedish mother, insists he takes nothing for granted.
“You can never have too much of a hubris and be overconfident when it comes to sports, and you never can just underestimate your opponents,” said Duplantis, who listed “Levels” by Avicii as his world record-breaking “anthem.”
It also came down to respect for the art of pole vaulting, a field discipline demanding not only exceptional speed, strength and agility, but also a considerable level of technical nous.
“It always requires just a laser amount of focus. There's no slacking off that you can do really,” he said.
“It's just such a difficult sport and, especially at this level, it's like I just always have to bring my 'A' game -- I feel like that's always my mentality going into it.
“I never feel like it's just ever given to me.”
Duplantis did add, however, that “when I do the things that I know that I can do, and I focus and I jump the way that I know that I can jump, then I do feel like I'm the best one every time I step out onto the track.”
Asked whether he thought he could increase the world record beyond 6.40m, Duplantis was coy.
ANOTHER WORLD RECORD!
— Queenatletica (@Queenatletica) March 12, 2026
Mondo Duplantis and the mathematics of the pole vault.
Attempts needed for his 15 world records:
6.17 → 5
6.18 → 1
6.19 → 51
6.20 → 3
6.21 → 2
6.22 → 9
6.23 → 16
6.24 → 7
6.25 → 18
6.26 → 2
6.27 → 3
6.28 → 7
6.29 → 11
6.30 → 3
6.31 → 4… pic.twitter.com/KVpm40vDIm
“I probably think about it a lot less than you,” he told reporters.
“I like the chase and the journey and pushing myself and trying to be the best version that I can be and of course trying to compete really hard every time I step on the track.”
That involves trying “to just keep raising it and pushing the envelope,” but Duplantis insisted that he had “never been so much of a numbers guy. I'm not very analytical.”
“It's really not something that I care about all that much.”
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