Mondo Duplantis eyes new heights with 13th world record

Pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis continues to redefine excellence in athletics, entering the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with his 13th world record and a reputation for unmatched showmanship.

The back-to-back Olympic champion demonstrated his high-flying prowess last month in Budapest, clearing 6.29 meters in a performance that left fans and sportswriters in awe. Duplantis, 25, is known as much for his skill as his charisma, bringing a celebrity aura to a field event traditionally overshadowed by sprinting and track competitions.

"I love pushing myself and I love trying to get the most out of myself," Duplantis said ahead of the September 13-21 championships. "I just have this real internal drive and motivation that I just want to keep being better. I have short-term memory loss. I probably don't let it soak in and forget my accomplishments too quickly."

Since breaking his first world record in February 2020—clearing 6.17 meters to surpass Renaud Lavillenie's six-year-old mark of 6.16 meters—Duplantis has been nearly unbeatable, suffering only four defeats. Last month, he secured his fifth Diamond League title in Zurich, narrowly holding off Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis at 6.00 meters.

Duplantis’ growing celebrity transcends the pole vault runway. With a charm and look frequently compared to Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet, he is emerging as the A-list figure athletics has sought since Usain Bolt retired.

"It's a lot of recognition of course," Duplantis said. "It's always quite big as far as just the impact that it has every time I break the record, which is quite cool. There's more and more, I guess, really cool people that send me congrats and whatnot."

For three years, he has relied on the same pole that helped him reach 6.20 meters in Belgrade. While he hinted at experimenting with a stiffer pole to push his limits even further, Duplantis said he has yet to find the right moment to make the switch.

"I have one pole that's just a tiny bit stiffer that I've tried to use and I haven't really been able to use it, but I haven't also tried it when I'm in really good shape," he told reporters. "Hopefully in the near future when I when I am trying to get just a few more centimetres even out of myself, then I plan to go to another pole."

As Tokyo prepares to host the world’s elite athletes, all eyes will be on Duplantis to see if he can continue his record-breaking streak and elevate the sport to new heights.