Teen pole vault sensation Duplantis eyes new heights
His first taste of elite competition may have ended in defeat, but schoolboy pole vault sensation Armand Duplantis is adamant that he can challenge for a medal at the World Championships later this year.
Still only 17, Duplantis, known popularly as “Mondo”, has jumped higher than any other pole vaulter in 2017, leaping a world-leading 5.9 metres (19 feet 4.3 inches) at the Texas Relays in April.
On Saturday the teenage high school student from Louisiana served further notice of his rich talent with a fourth place finish at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon.
Duplantis, who has chosen to represent Sweden in elite competition because of his Swedish mother, posted a creditable jump of 5.71m. The event was won by Sam Kendricks of the United States in 5.86m with world record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France second in 5.81. Duplantis however was far from discouraged following his outing. “It shows me I can jump high right now,” Duplantis said.
“I don’t want to say that I’m better than Kendricks or Renaud but of course I have a chance against them (at the world championships),” he added.
Duplantis’ display was just the latest stop on a remarkable rise that has seen him described as the “Tiger Woods of the Pole Vault.”
His world leading jump in Texas last month is a US high school record and a world junior record. It would also have been good enough to win the bronze medal at last year’s Olympics.
Despite the fact that no 17-year-old has ever jumped higher, Duplantis believes there is room for improvement. “It didn’t feel at all like a perfect jump. Not even close actually. I watched some video and it was a pretty good jump but I didn’t think it was close to perfect,” he said. “I have a better jump in me for sure.”
Pole-vaulting is in the Duplantis family genes. Father Greg was a competitive pole vaulter; Mondo was exposed to the sport as a four-year-old, practising on a makeshift runway and pit set up in his family’s back yard. “When you have a pole vault pit in your back yard, you’re going to try it,” Duplantis said.
“I fell in love with pole vault at a young age and stuck with it.” Duplantis has already surpassed his father’s personal best. “He bet me that if I jumped 19 feet he’d get me any kind of car I want. And I did it in my sophomore year,” Duplantis said. “And he didn’t get me any car I want by the way. It’s funny. I look up to my dad my whole life. And then to know that I’m better than him at 17 years old.”
Participating in the world championships will mean that Duplantis misses the first week of high school. “But I’m not stressing,” Duplantis said. “I don’t stress about school, even if I have a test of something. School is the second thought right now.” — AFP