Clermont-Ferrand, March 1 (IANS) “I just did it,” said Armand Duplantis, who delivered yet another historic performance, with a record-breaking leap of 6.27 metres at the All-Star Perche meet in France, on Friday.
The Swedish superstar, who has now shattered the world record an incredible 11 times, needed just one attempt to clear the height, igniting celebrations in the arena.
Reflecting on his achievement, Duplantis summed it up simply: “I just felt really good. What can I say, I came here to do it. I put everything in place to do it. The run-up worked really well. I just did it.”
Duplantis, the reigning Olympic and world champion, needed just one attempt to clear the new benchmark, eclipsing the 6.26m height he set in Silesia last August. As soon as the bar stayed up, the packed arena erupted in celebration, with track-side fireworks illuminating the historic moment.
The 25-year-old had already secured victory after first-attempt clearances at 5.65m, 5.91m, 6.02m, and 6.07m. But, as has become customary in his career, he wasn’t content with just winning – he wanted to push the sport’s boundaries once more.
Adding to the drama of the night, Duplantis’ newly released song Bop played in the background as he made his record-breaking leap.
“When I made this song a couple of months ago, I thought this would be a perfect song to jump to here,” he said. “That’s why I rushed it out.”
The competition itself was one for the history books. Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis finished second, setting a national record with a clearance of 6.02m, while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall claimed third after clearing 5.91m. For the first time ever, six athletes cleared 5.91m or higher in a single competition.
Duplantis’ dominance has been relentless. Since first breaking Renaud Lavillenie’s 6.16m world record in 2020, he has raised the mark centimetre by centimetre, with this being the fourth time in the last 11 months alone.
–IANS
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