Lafayette’s Armand Duplantis Breaks World Pole Vault Record…Again…for the Seventh Time

Lafayette native Armand Duplantis keeps soaring to new heights. The world champion pole vaulter broke the world record for the seventh time in his career over the weekend.

Duplantis soared to a mark of 6.23 meters or 20 feet, 5.25 inches at the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon this past weekend.

The new mark is one centimeter more than the previous world record of 6.22m/20-4.75 that he set indoors in February of 2023.

"The limit is very high, and I hope that I can continue to jump well and keep jumping higher than I did today, but for now I'm not really thinking about anything except enjoying this moment and enjoying what I just did," Duplantis said.

Duplantis needed just three jumps to win this weekend's competition, clearing 5.62m/18-5.25, 5.82m/19-1 and 6.02m/19-9 with relative ease on his first attempts.

Worlds silver medalist Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines missed three chances at 6.02m. So, Duplantis raised the bar straight to the world record height.

It only took Duplantis one jump to set the new mark. He brushed the bar but it stayed on as he fell to the mat to a roaring crowd.

After landing, Duplantis wheeled toward the crowd in celebration and was then mobbed by his other competitors.

“For me, I just try to jump high," Duplantis said. "I love pole vaulting so much and I’ve loved it ever since I was just a little kid. If I’m able to take pole vaulting to another level and I can get as much eyes as possible watching it by jumping really high and doing some cool things, then that’s a job well done by me. I like where I’m at, I’m gonna try to keep building on this.”

Congrats Armand!