Armand Duplantis has made a strong statement ahead of the Paris Olympics by breaking his own pole vault world record with a 6.24 meters effort at the first Diamond League meeting of the 2024 season in Xiamen, China. This surpasses his previous record of 6.23 meters set at the Eugene Diamond League finale in September. He cleared the bar with ease and celebrated his achievement at his first outdoor event of the year.
As he heads into his second Olympic Games in July and August, Duplantis is considered the firm favorite to succeed in the prestigious event. The Swede, who is the Olympic and two-time world outdoor champion, recently added a second world indoor title to his collection in March. This eighth time he broke the world record establishes him as a dominant force in pole vaulting.
In other events at the Diamond League opener, Australian Torrie Lewis had an impressive debut by winning the women’s 200m gold in a tight race against strong American competitors like Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson finished second, showcasing the talent and competitiveness in the field of sprinting.
Marileidy Paulino, the world champion, started her season on a high note by winning the women’s 400m event in a time of 50.08 seconds. She was followed by Natalia Kaczmarek and Britton Wilson in the top three positions. In addition, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn dominated her field and secured victory in 12.45 seconds