Mondo raises the bar once more

Armand "Mondo" Duplantis traded handshakes and hugs with the pole vaulters he'd just beaten to capture his third world championships title in Tokyo.

He took a leisurely walk toward the stands to talk to his parents, his brother and his fiancee.

Then, like any great performer in a jam-packed stadium, he turned around, walked back onstage and delivered the encore the people had been waiting for.

It was another world record — the 14th time he's set it — by clearing the bar at 6.30 meters.

Duplantis cleared it on his third and final attempt. It came more than half an hour after the racing on Day 3 of the World Athletics Championships wrapped up for the evening. But nobody in the crowd of 53,000 would dare walk out on Mondo. And Mondo made a point of wringing every drop of drama out of an experience few in that crowd will soon forget.

"To be able to enjoy this world record with them and give them that is super special," Duplantis said. "Especially considering the last time I was in this stadium, we didn't have any spectators. It was spooky and eerie and super weird, and not very fun, honestly."

The night of his last performance at Japan National Stadium was during the COVID-delayed Olympics, held a year late in 2021, and without any fans. Duplantis settled for "only" the gold medal that time and missed the world record. The difference, he suspects, was the energy missing during those silent Games.

This time, there was noise and fun — the people clapping in rhythm every time Duplantis lined up — and like any great artist, Mondo knew how to play to the crowd.

After clearing 6.10, he imitated Japanese baseball Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki's pre-bat sleeve-tugging routine.

"My brother was in the crowd and he plays baseball, so I was trying to fire him up," Duplantis said. "And the Japanese people, if they understood it, it was just something fun."

The Louisiana-born phenom who competes for his mother's native Sweden collected $70,000 for the win — his 49th straight, dating back to September 2022 — along with the $100,000 bonus that goes to record breakers at world championships.

The money isn't the main motivation for a champion who has won every major title — worlds and Olympics — since the Tokyo Games.

"It's doing what I know I'm capable of," Duplantis said. "Motivation-wise, it's not that much of a problem. I know the level I can compete at, and I kind of demand that of myself."

It's hard to blame the crowd for expecting it, too. Duplantis started breaking records on Feb 8, 2020, and has broken them on three continents and in nine countries. This latest feat puts the height at an even 6.30.

"Six-three sounds really nice, really clean, a new barrier for our sport," he said. "It sounds better than 6.29, for sure."

But maybe not as good as 6.31.

"I believe in him," said his dad, Greg, in an interview from the stadium. "I believed he was going to make it on the last one. You've got to believe."

Duplantis has, in fact, wondered if 6.5 might be in his future.

At this rate, it would take another few years. The good news is, he's 25 and, for comparison, the great Sergey Bubka, who won six straight world titles through the 1980s and '90s, was 31 when he broke the record for the 17th and final time.

Bubka's final record was 6.14, and, after France's Renaud Lavillenie topped that one time, Duplantis took over. He has improved the record by one centimeter every time, giving him maximum opportunities to pocket bonuses like the one he'll receive from World Athletics for this one.

"What Mondo has in spades is what every pole vaulter is trying to achieve," said Sam Kendricks, the fourth-place finisher who is the last man not named Duplantis to win a world title (in 2019). "He's got a jump, he's got the jets. He's got a family that really supports him, and then he's got a field of guys that's really pushing him up there."

Medals for China

China also celebrated its first medals of the Tokyo worlds, as Zhao Jie and Zhang Jiale claimed silver and bronze, respectively, in the women's hammer throw.

Canada's Olympic and world champion Camryn Rogers dominated with a winning mark of 80.51 meters. Zhao, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, threw a personal best of 77.60 to secure silver, while Zhang, 18, impressed on her world championships debut with 77.10 for bronze.

"My goal was simply to stand on the podium," Zhao said. "From Olympic bronze to world silver, the change in medal color shows my growth. I hope in 2027, at the Beijing world championships, I can achieve another breakthrough together with my younger teammate Zhang Jiale."

Swiss cheers for Kambundji

Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland held off the world record-holder and reigning Olympic champion to win a surprise gold in the 100m hurdles.

After crossing the finish line, Kambundji stared up at the scoreboard waiting to see where her name would wind up. When she saw she was in first place, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock.

Kambundji finished in a personal-best 12.24 seconds to hold off world record-holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria by 0.05 seconds. American Grace Stark took bronze while Masai Russell, who won gold at the Paris Olympics last summer, was fourth.

"You could see on my face how happy I was when I realized I won," Kambundji said.

Beamish uses head to win steeplechase

The most heartbreaking scene on Monday was steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali kneeling with his head on the track and his teammate trying to console him.

The two-time world and Olympic champion was outraced to the line by New Zealand's Geordie Beamish and finished second by 0.07 seconds.

"Congratulations for a good race today, but, for me, I'm coming here for a different reason," El Bakkali said.

Despite his heartbreak, El Bakkali took a traditional steeplechase dip in the water pit with Beamish.

Beamish celebrated a gold medal some 48 hours after another memorable scene. He tripped during qualifying and an oncoming runner stepped on his face. But Beamish got up and made the final.

"It might have been a blessing in disguise," Beamish said. "That gave me a lot of confidence, just being able to get back up off the ground and still qualify pretty easily. It gave me confidence that my shape was better than I thought."

Agencies Via Xinhua