Duplantis raises bar with new world record

BELGRADE, Serbia – Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis bettered his own pole vault world record as he soared to gold at the World Indoor Championships on Sunday, but Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s bid to further underline his 1500m dominance came a cropper.

US-born Duplantis cleared 6.20 meters at the third time of asking, one centimeter better than his previous best set in the same Stark Arena in Belgrade just two weeks ago.

As soon as main rivals Chris Nilsen and Thiago Braz had fallen by the wayside, Duplantis had no hesitation about raising the bar to a record height.

The Swede was left punching the air as he went clear, his attention now focused on a world outdoor title in Eugene, Oregon, in July.

“To break the world record two times in two weeks, I can’t complain,” said Duplantis.

“The sky’s the limit. Another title, another world record,” he said.