Pole vault star Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis once again dazzled onlookers with an outstanding performance at the 2024 Diamond League finals in Brussels, but the Swedish sensation remained personally unsatisfied after falling short of breaking the world record in the men’s pole vault event.
Duplantis, who cleared a remarkable 6.11 meters to clinch gold, set a new meet record, surpassing his previous best of 6.10m by a mere 0.01m.
However, despite his gold-medal finish and record-setting feat, Duplantis was left reflecting on what could have been, lamenting his inability to surpass the world record of 6.26m, which he had set earlier in the season.
“My legs felt terrible tonight and I’m just really tired. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks: the race against Karsten and then I had to jump the day after. That took a lot more from my body than I expected,” Duplantis explained in his post-event interview, referring to his previous competition in Zurich.
“With 6m11 I got a good result, but the world record wasn’t meant to be tonight. It’s not easy to do better each time.”
The 24-year-old pole vaulter has been at the pinnacle of the sport throughout the 2024 season, remaining undefeated in all competitions.
Duplantis admitted that his body was feeling the toll of the demanding track and field schedule as the season draws to a close.
The pole vault star, who won eight Diamond League events this year and took home his second Olympic gold in Paris, hinted at his readiness to unwind after the rigors of such an intense campaign.
“Now it’s time to celebrate my beautiful season: I will drink some good Belgian beers tonight for sure,” he added, hinting at a well-earned break ahead of him.
While Duplantis triumphed in Brussels, his competitors also showed their mettle. Greek pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis secured second place with a jump of 5.82m, while Belgian vaulter Ben Brothers achieved a personal season-best of 5.82m to take the third spot on the podium.
Despite the strong field, no athlete besides Duplantis managed to scale the elusive 6-meter mark, further underscoring his dominance this season.
Looking back on 2024, Duplantis can proudly boast not only of his undefeated record but also a haul of championships.
In addition to his Diamond League victories, he clinched the Indoor World Championship title for the second time and successfully defended his Olympic gold in Paris.
The Swedish star reflected on the demands of pushing boundaries with every performance.
“It’s not easy to do better each time,” he confessed, acknowledging the relentless pressure to break records at every competition.
Despite missing out on the world record in Brussels, Duplantis’ season has been nothing short of historic.
