While the Swedish-American pole vaulter kept his cool, chatting with opponents who'd already finished their competition in between attempts, he kept his fans on the edge of their seats until the last possible moment. On his third and last run, Duplantis cleared bar on his way to knocking down his own world record by .01 meters.
Duplantis says his calm demeanor comes from his preparation. He was first handed a pole at age 3 by his parents, who are also his coaches. I really wasn't all that nervous, he said after his historic jump. I've just always had so much confidence in my abilities.
To hype himself up before each attempt, Duplantis clasped his hands together over his head, cueing to fans to start their steady clap as he bolted down the runway. A sizable sea of yellow and blue showed massive support for the pole vaulter on a busy Monday night at Stade de France stadium.
"What can I say? he said. I just broke a world record at the Olympics, biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter. The biggest dream since a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I've been able to do that in front of the most ridiculous crowd I've ever competed in front of."
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