Duplantis: ‘Meeting record is under threat'

After his sensational European championships in Berlin, where Duplantis took gold with a jump of 6m05, he return returned to the States. As a son of an American father and Swedish mother he is currently studying at the Louisiana State University. The Diamond League final is a good reason to come back to Europe. 

"Tomorrow in Brussels it’s everything or nothing,” Duplantis said on Thursday afternoon. “At championships it’s about medals, but now it’s about that diamond trophy. I heard the meeting record is 5m96 (set by Renaud Lavillenie in 2013). Well, I think that record is under threat tomorrow. Whether I’m going to be the one breaking it, I don’t know. That will depend on the form of the day. I aimed for the European championships, but it's only been two weeks. I feel ready for a great performance tomorrow.

With so many world-class competitors it’s tough to predict if Armand Duplantis will win the Diamond League, or if that honour will go to the likes of Renaud Lavillenie, Timur Morgunov, Sam Kendricks, Shawn Barber, Piotr Lisek, Thiago Braz or someone else. But surely ‘Mondo’ will outperform his father Greg, who competed at the Memorial in the 90s. “I have no idea how high he jumped then. Maybe 5m50?” That’s the correct answer! 

That’s a height Armand Duplantis already cleared at the tender age of 16. “I started pole vaulting as a four-year old in the garden,” he reveals. "In a way I’m still doing the same thing as back then, only there’s more people watching and I’m jumping a bit higher. But I still enjoy it just as much. I can’t imagine a life without the pole vault. Of course I’m dreaming about the world record (6m16), but there’s no masterplan. I do think we’re on the right track."