History Made: LSU’s Mondo Duplantis Wins Gold in Pole Vault Final
On August 23, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary, Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, also known as Armand Duplantis, showcased his pole vaulting prowess at the World Athletics Championships. He cleared 5.75 meters (18 feet 10¾ inches) in the qualifying round, setting the stage for his historic performance in Paris.
On the fifth day of track and field events at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Duplantis added another chapter to his extraordinary career by securing his second consecutive Olympic gold medal. This achievement made him the first back-to-back Olympic pole vault gold medalist since Bob Richards of the USA, who won in 1952 and 1956. Duplantis also matched Richards’ record for the most pole vault gold medals in Olympic history.
Duplantis began his gold medal performance by clearing the initial height of 5.50 meters (18 feet 0.5 inches) with ease. He then bypassed heights of 5.80 meters (18 feet 8.5 inches) and 5.85 meters (19 feet 2.25 inches), and after skipping 5.90 meters (19 feet 4.25 inches), was one of only two athletes to clear 5.95 meters (19 feet 6.25 inches). He continued his dominance by clearing 6.00 meters (19 feet 8.25 inches) to secure the gold and aimed for the Olympic record. Duplantis easily surpassed 6.10 meters (20 feet 0.25 inches) and, despite multiple attempts, ultimately cleared 6.25 meters (20 feet 6 inches) on his third try to set a new world record.
In other LSU-related news, Favour Ofili delivered a season-best time of 22.05 seconds in the 200-meter semifinals, securing her spot in the final and becoming the first Nigerian woman to reach this stage since 1996. Ella Onojuvwevwo did not advance past the women’s 400-meter heats but will have another chance in the repechage rounds. Senior Claudio Romero, representing Chile, did not progress past the discus throw qualification due to faults in his attempts.
