Armand Duplantis, Sweden’s uncontested pole vault king, capped an undefeated season with another stunning triumph in the Diamond League finals in Brussels on Friday.
It was his 15th and last victory of the year, during which he improved his own world record three times, reaching 6.26 metres.
In frigid conditions at the King Baudouin Stadium, the Swede born in the United States stood apart from the competitors once more.
He vaulted only three times, at 5.62, 5.92, and 6.11 meters, the latter setting a new meeting record. Emmanouil Karalis of Greece finished second with 5.82m on countback, behind local favourite Ben Broeders.
“My legs felt terrible tonight, and I’m just really tired,” revealed Duplantis, who was left disappointed after facing hurdles star Karsten Warholm in a pre-event exhibition 100m race in Zurich last week.
“That required a lot more from my body than I anticipated. With 6.11 metres, I had a respectable result, but the world record was not meant to be tonight.”
Duplantis said, “Now it’s time to celebrate my beautiful season: I will drink some good Belgian beers tonight for sure!”
