Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis can do it all. He sets records in a sport that defies gravity, breaking his own records nine times within just four years. He can even challenge the 400m hurdles world record holder in a neutral setting, demonstrating impressive speed in practice. Later, he can win the event with a phenomenal time that could unsettle even the most seasoned sprinters. And that’s not the whole story about the Swedish-American pole vaulter.

The latest evidence shows he has had an undeniable relationship with breaking records in his sport since his childhood. That glory puts him in the position of being a generational talent in track and field sports. 

Mondo Duplantis’s prodigious feat displayed early signs 

After the Silesia Diamond League this year, the world record in the men’s pole vault stands at 6.26 meters, a mark fans readily attribute to Mondo Duplantis. But did they know that 15 years ago, the young athlete was already making waves? At just 9 years old, Mondo cleared a height of 2.92 meters with his pole. The following year, he returned with even more determination, soaring over 3.86 meters. This achievement not only showcased his early promise but also made him a standout in the age-based record book. A decade later, the Lafayette High School alum reemerged on the field, hungrier than ever for new records.

In 2020, Mondo Duplantis uprooted Renaud Lavillenie’s world record (6.16 m) that had existed for six years. In the same year, he changed the record two more times. Subsequently, in 2022, the spree of changing the record started again and Duplantis presented three jaw-dropping instances to add numbers to his best efforts. In the next two years, the fans would see it five more times. In the meantime, the 24-year-old claimed the Olympic gold two times and other contests numerous times. But through all this, he has been able to set up a new world order in pole vault. 

The 6-m barrier had been breached in the pole vault for the first time in 1985 by Sergey Bubka. He left the sport in 1994 after adding 0.14m to his acclaimed 6m height. However, in the last four years, Mondo Duplantis has added 0.10m since he took over the reins from Lavillenie. And the Lafayette-born athlete is just 24 now. So he has plenty of time left to inflict fresh changes in the record book. And if you follow a veteran’s points extracted from Mondo’s performance throughout the time, the chances are high to see him more in the list of world records in pole vault. 

The athletic prowess stands to be the difference 

Before moving to the 100m battle against Mondo Duplantis, his Norwegian friend turned rival agreed to the latter’s supremacy in covering the first 40-50m sprint length. Even so, in the actual event before the Zurich Diamond League, Duplantis dropped his clocking 10.37 seconds to win the duel. That inherent exuberance supports Scott Simpson’s words. 

The former international pole vaulter and coach has watched Mondo closely. That’s why the tough job of mapping the phenom’s performances seems easy for the doyen. So when he had been asked to speak about the prominent reason behind Mondo’s undisputed run, Simpson named Mondo’s pace on the track. “The speed that he puts into the take-off at the end of the approach run is higher than we have seen from anybody else previously,” he shared. Yet, the most common story about the sport has been the inability to handle the rapid pace while taking off. But Duplantis’s specialty is well ahead of others. 

That quality led the coach to say, “He puts a lot of speed through the take-off point but also has incredible on-pole abilities for the speed at which everything is happening—something that is quite unique to him.” The combination of these two qualities has allowed him to get consistent results. Moreover, the ability to maintain consistency has made him more penetrative. The first two qualities have been in place all along, as the latest share displays. Now it’s time to celebrate Mondo Duplantis’s mastery.