Armand Duplantis Soars to 6.25m World Record While Defending Olympic Pole Vault Title

The fifth day of athletics at the Paris Olympics was marked by a new men's pole vault world record.

 Armand “Mondo” Duplantis won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal breaking the world record by one cm with 6.25m in the third attempt. Duplantis set the ninth record of his career. The Swedish pole vault star had a clean sheet clearing 5.70m, 5.85m, 5.95m, 6.00m and 6.10m in his first attempt. He vaulted 6.00m with plenty of room to spare making it look very easy. He then cleared 6.10m adding 7 cm to the previous Olympic record set by Thiago Braz da Silva in Rio de Janeiro 2016 with 6.03m. Duplantis became the only second man to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals following Bob Richards, who triumphed in Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956. Swedish King Charles Gustav was in the stands of the Stade de France to attend the pole vault final. 

Armand Duplantis: “The biggest dream since I was a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics. I have been able to do it in front of the greatest crowd I have ever competed in front of. The crowd got crazy. It was so loud in there. It sounded like an American football game. I have a little bit of experience being in a 100000 capacity stadium, but I was never the center of attention. I was just trying to channel the energy everybody was giving me. They were giving me a lot of it. I haven’t processed how fantastic that moment was. It’s one of those things that don’t really feel real, such an out of body experience. It’s still hard to kind of land right now. What can I say? I just broke a world record at the Olympics, biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter. I think I can do it again, but I don’t really care right now. I’m so happy, I’m going to enjoy this very much. I’ve got my family here, my girlfriend here, some of my best friends here. The party is going to be pretty big. Not that much sleep, a lot of partying, a good time," 

Sam Kendricks cleared 5.70m, 5.75m, 5.90m and 5.95m in his first attempt and made only one failure at 5.85m. Kendricks improved his PB by three cm. 

The US star, who won the Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016, ended his competition with three failures at 6.00m. 

Greek record holder Emmanouil Karalis cleared 5.90m in his first attempt to win the bronze medal beating Ernest John Obiena on countback. Karalis made one try at 5.95m before attempting 6.00 twice. Duplantis was confirmed the winner as Karalis failed the last of his three attempts at 6.00m. 

Karalis won his third major medal this year after the bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow and the European silver medal in Rome. 

Ersu Sasma from Turkey finished fifth equalling his seasonal best with 5.85m on his first attempt. Kurtis Marshall from Australia took sixth place with 5.85m on countback. 

Bokai Huang placed seventh with a PB of 5.80m. Sondre Guttormsen completed the top eight with 5.80.

Men's Pole Vault Final Results:

Women’s 800 Metres Final: 

Keely Hodgkinson from Great Britain won her first Olympic gold medal in 1:56.72 three years after finishing third at the age of 19 in Tokyo behind Athing Mu. Tsige Dugume improved her PB to 1:57.15 to win silver medal. World champion Mary Moraa from Kenya finished third in 1:57.42. 

Shafiqua Maloney from St. Vincent and Grenadine finished fourth in 1:57.66, achieving the best ever finish for her country at the Olympic Games in any sport. Renelle Lamote from France finished fifth in 1:58.19 beating Worknesh Mesele by 0.09. 

Hodgkinson went at the front during the first lap, as Moraa was on her shoulder. After the bell Hodgkinson was still ahead on the back straight. 

Hodgkinson was in the lead ahead of Moraa as they approached the bend. The British middle-distance athlete pulled away on the home straight. Tsige Duguma from Ethiopia overtook Moraa in the final metres. Moraa held on to win the bronze medal. 

Hodgkinson has become the first British athlete to win the Olympic 800 metres gold medal since 2004, when Kelly Holmes won in Athens. 

Keely Hodgkinson: “I have worked so hard over the past year and you could see how much it meant to me as I crossed the line. I feel like I have really grown over the past couple of years and this year I have really tried to make that step up. I knew to cross that line first I had to go one better than I have ever had”.  

Women’s 5000 Metres Final: 

Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 5000 metres in 14:28.56 adding this title to her collection that includes two world medals (silver in Eugene 2022 and bronze in Budapest 2023 in the 5000m). Chebet became the first woman to break the 29 minutes barrier in the 10000m with her world record of 28:54.14 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. 

Chebet’s 14:28.56 is the second fastest Olympic time (behind Cheruiyot’s 14:26.17 from Rio) and Kipyegon's 14:29.60 is the third fastest performance. 

World champion Faith Kipyegon won the silver medal in 14:29.60. Kipyegon was disqualified because of an obstruction, but was later reinstated. 

Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands won the bronze medal in 14:30.61 three years after winning two gold medals in the 5000m and 10000m in Tokyo 2021. 

Nadia Battocletti improved her own Italian record to 14:31.64 to finish fourth in her second Olympic final. 

Ejgayehu Taye and Gudaf Tsegay went to the front at the 3000 metres mark. The paced picked up with two laps and a half to go. The lead was whittled down to eight athletes, including double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, Beatrice Chebet, Faith Kipyegon and Margaret Kipkemboi Chelimo, Taye, Tsegay and Battocletti.  

The Kenyans were in the lead at the bell. Kypiegon and Chebet pulled clear from Hassan with 200 metres to go. Chebet overtook Kipyegon with 40 metres to go. 

Women’s Discus Throw Final: 

Valarie Allman won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal with 69.50m in the fourth round. Allman threw three more times over the 68 metres barrier with a solid series that also included 68.74m, 68.06m, 69.21m. 

Bin Feng from China won the silver medal with 67.51m beating two-time Olympic champion Sandra Elkasevic on countback by virtue of her second best throw of 67.25m. Elkasevic produced a second best throw of 64.51m.  

Valarie Allman: “I am on a cloud nine. Until it was all done I did not let myself believe it was going to be true. I can’t believe to walk away as the Olympic champion. Knowing this is the Olympic final and everything we put in for years, not just one year, is going to come down tonight”. 

Women’s 200 metres semifinals: 

Olympic 100 metres champion Julien Alfred from Santa Lucia won the first 200 metres semifinal in 21.98 ahead of Favour Ofili (22.05) and this year’s 100m and 200m NCAA champion McKenzie Long (22.30). 

Gabby Thomas won the second semifinal setting the fastest overall time of the 200 metres heats with 21.86. Dina Asher Smith qualified for the final in second place with 22.31. 

Brittany Brown claimed the win in the third semifinal in 22.12 ahead of European silver medallist Daryll Neita (22.24). 

Men’s 400 metres hurdles heats: 

Olympic champion Karsten Warholm started the defence of his title with 47.57, the fastest ever time recorded in an Olympic 400 metres hurdles heat. Warholm won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 45.94 in the greatest race ever. 

Frenchman Clement Ducos finished second improved his PB to 47.69 to the delight of the 75000 spectators, who packed the Stade de France. Ducos moved to third on the French all-time time behind Stephane Diagana (47.37) and Wilfried Happio (47.41). Abderrahamane Samba took third place with 48.35. 

Karsten Warholm: “I have to laugh a little. It’s unfortunate to be in the same race as a Frenchman. The crowd was cheering for him and I felt I had to put on a bit of a show. In retrospect I could have let Ducos go, but I don’t think that matters much. I felt like I had to run fast, but without emptying the tank. However, I would have liked to run slower”. 

Raj Benjamin eased home to win the first heat in 48.82 ahead of Jaheel Hyde from Jamaica (49.08) and last year’s Kyron McMaster from the British Virgin Islands (49.24). 

Two-time Olympic finalist Rasmus Magi from Estonia won the third heat in 48.62 ahead of CJ Allen (48.64) and 2022 world champion Alison Dos Santos (48.75). 

Roshawn Clarke, world under 20 record holder with 47.34, won the fourth heat in 48.17 ahead of Ezekiel Nathaniel from Nigeria (48.38) and Wilfried Happio (48.42). European silver medallist Alessandro Sibilio advanced to the semifinal as one the next three fastest hurdlers with 48.43. 

Women’s 400 metres heats: 

World champion Marileidy Paulino from Dominican Republic ran the fastest qualifying time in the women’s 400 metres heats with 49.42 to move through to Wednesday’s semifinals. 

The 400m heats registered three sub-50 second performances from European athletes. Amber Anning from Great Britain was the second fastest qualifier with 49.68. Anning clocked a split of 48.81 to earn Great Britain the Olympic bronze medal in the mixed 4x400 relay. Olympic mixed relay gold medallist Lieke Klaver finished second behind Anning in 49.96. Natalia Kaczmarek from Poland, European champion in Rome 2024, won the fourth heat in 49.98 beating Roxana Gomez from Cuba (50.38) and Sada Williams from Barbados (50.45). 

Barhein’s Selwa Naser, world champion in Doha 2019, won her heat in 49.91. 

European silver medallist Rhasidat Adeleke slowed down the final straight but she was able to win her heat in 50.09 ahead of Alexis Holmes (50.35). 

Shaunae Miller Uibo did not finish in the third heat and the defence of her Olympic title came to an end. 

Men’s 200 metres heats: 

Olympic silver medallist Kenneth Bednarek ran the fastest time in the first round of the men’s 200 metres by winning the fourth heat in 19.96 edging Alexander Ogando (20.04). 

World bronze medallist Letsile Tebogo won the third heat in 20.10 one day after setting his PB with 9.86 in the 100 metres final. Makanakaishe Charamba placed second in 20.27 holding off European silver medallist Filippo Tortu (20.29). 

Olympic 100 metres champion Noah Lyles cruised through to a win in the 200 metres in 20.19. 

Joseph Fahnbulleh won the first heat of the men’s 200 metres in 20.20 beating Olympic 4x100 relay champion Eseosa Desalu from Italy (20.29) and 400m world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk from South Africa (20.42). 

Tarsis Orogot from Uganda won the second heat in 20.32 ahead of Wayna McCoy (20.35).  

Women’s pole vault: 

Twenty vaulters advanced to the women’s pole vault final

Katie Moon and Nina Kennedy were among the six vaulters who achieved the automatic qualifying mark of 4.55m with a clean-sheet. The other four athletes who cleared all heights at the first attempt until 4.55 were this year’s European outdoor champion Angelica Moser from Switzerland, Italian record holder Roberta Bruni, world finalist Elisa Molinarolo and Amalie Svabikova from Czech Republic. 

The group of qualifiers also features 2022 European outdoor champion Wilma Murto from Finland and 2016 Olympic champion Katerini Stefanidi, who won two back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2018 and the European silver medal in Rome 2024. 

World indoor champion Molly Caudery from Great Britain crashed out, as she failed three attempts at the opening height of 4.55m. Caudery decided to skip the height of 4.40m, which proved to be enough for nine vaulters to advance to Wednesday’s final. Holly Bradshaw, Olympic bronze medallist, jumped 4.20m but was not able to clear 4.40m. 

Men’s discus throw qualifying round: 

World record holder Virgilius Alekna fouled his first attempt in the men’s discus throw, but he sent the 2 kg discus out to 67.47m to achieve the longest throw of the qualifying round. Alekna is looking to follow in the footsteps of his father Virgilius, who won two Olympic gold medals in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. 

Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinger and Germany’s Clemens Prufer threw 66.72m and 66.36m respectively on their first attempts to advance to the final with the automatic qualifying mark of 66.00m. Matthew Denny, fourth at the World Championships in Budapest and last year’s Diamond League Final winner in Eugene, also threw beyond the automatic qualifying mark with 66.00m. 

Reigning Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl reached the final in eighth place with 65.00m. European champion Kristian Ceh ranked ninth one place behind Stahl with 64.80m. Former world and European champion Andrius Gudzius got through to the final with 10th best mark with 64.07m. 

Men’s 3000 metres steeplechase: 

Mohamed Tindouft ran the fastest time of the qualifying round setting a PB of 8:10.62. Samuel Firewu from Ethiopia took second place with 8:11.62 ahead of Abraham Kibiwot (8:12.02). 

Reigning Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali won the first 3000m steeplechase heat in 8:17:90 beating Leonard Chemutai from Uganda (8:18.19) and Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale (8:18.25). 

World record holder Lamecha Girma won the slowest heat in 8:23.29 ahead of Kenneth Rooks from the USA (8:24.95) and Simon Koech from Kenya (8:24.95). 

400 metres hurdles repechage round: 

Italian record holder Ayomide Folorunso claimed the first repechage heat with 55.07 beating Naomi Van De Broeck (55.11). 

Mo Jaidie won the second 400 metres hurdles repechage heat in 54.75. Jessie Knight from Great Britain surged in the final 30 metres to clinch the second automatic qualifying spot after catching Panama’s Gianna Woodruff on the line. Both Knight and Woodruff clocked 55.10. 

Shana Grebo from France won the third heat in 54.91 to the delight of the French crowd. 

Men’s 400 metres repechage round: 

Ammar Yahia Ibrahim from Qatar ran the fastest qualifying time in the men’s 400 metres repechage round with 44.77. 

Women’s 200 metres repechage round: 

Jaqueline Madogo was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 200m repechage round with a PB of 22.58.

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