Armand Duplantis Breaks His Own World Record in Pole Vault

Armand Duplantis, the World and Olympic Pole Vault Champion, achieved a remarkable feat by improving on his own World Record with a leap of 6.23 meters during the Diamond League finals on Sunday. This astonishing performance solidified his status as one of the greatest pole vaulters in history.

Previously, Duplantis had set the World Record at 6.22 meters in France earlier in the year, and now he has managed to add an extra centimeter to his record. What makes this achievement even more impressive is that Duplantis has now re-set the world record seven times in his career, showcasing his incredible consistency and skill in the sport.

It’s worth noting that five of Duplantis’s record-breaking marks were set indoors, while the remaining two outdoor records were achieved at Hayward Field in Eugene, where he also won the world title last year.

Duplantis expressed his admiration for the venue, saying, “I’m two for two right now on world records coming here to Hayward. It has absolutely everything. It has the history, it has the modern touch. The track is really fast, the crowd and energy are fantastic.”

Prior to this record-breaking jump, Duplantis had already secured victory in the competition with a height of 6.02 meters, marking the 73rd clearance of his career over six meters.

In his first attempt at 6.23 meters, with the crowd cheering him on, Duplantis soared over the bar with ease. Reflecting on his performance, he humbly stated, “I just try to jump high,” and expressed his belief that there’s still room for improvement in the record.

He added, “The limit is very high, and I hope that I can continue to jump well and keep jumping higher than I did today.”

Gudaf Tsegay Smashes Women’s 5000m World Record

Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay delivered a sensational performance in the women’s 5000m, electrifying the crowd with her record-breaking run. She completed the race in an astounding time of 14 minutes and 00.21 seconds, breaking the previous world record of 14:05.20, which was held by Kenyan Faith Kipyegon since June 9.

Kenyan Beatrice Chebet also delivered an outstanding performance, finishing second to Tsegay in 14:05.92, making it the third-fastest time in history. Tsegay expressed her determination before the race, saying, “My focus today was the world record,” and her hard work paid off as she secured her place in the record books.

Shericka Jackson’s Sprint Double

Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson continued to shine as she couldn’t break Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 35-year-old 200m world record, but her time of 21.57 seconds was enough to secure her a sprint double after her 100m victory on Saturday. This season, Jackson also won a 200m world title and recorded the second-fastest time ever at 21.41.

Jackson now owns five of the eight fastest times in the 200m event, and she remains determined to pursue Griffith-Joyner’s record of 21.34 from 1988 in the coming years.

Reflecting on her successful season, Jackson said, “The end of the season, I’m healthy and I ran some fast times, so I’m definitely grateful.”

Other Notable Performances

The Diamond League finals featured several other impressive performances:

• Canadian Andre de Grasse won the men’s 200m in 19.76 seconds.
• Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya clocked a world-leading time of 1 minute 42.80 seconds in the 800m.
• Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Nicola Olyslagers both cleared 2.03m in the women’s high jump, improving on the world lead they shared before the event.
• Hansle Parchment of Jamaica won the 110m hurdles in a world-leading time of 12.93 seconds.
• Olympic champion Athing Mu set an American record of 1:54.97 in the 800m.
• Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway won the 3,000m with a European record time of 7:23.63.

These outstanding performances at the Diamond League finals showcased the incredible talent and dedication of these athletes, leaving fans excited for what’s to come in the world of athletics.

(This story has not been edited by Smartkhabrinews staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)