Swede Mondo Duplantis broke the men’s pole vault world record for an eighth time by clearing 6.24 meters (20 feet, 5 inches) at a Diamond League season-opening meet in Xiamen, China, on Saturday.
Duplantis, 24, has broken the world record in back-to-back outdoor meets.
At his previous outdoor meet, September’s Diamond League Final in Eugene, Oregon, he cleared 6.23 meters on his 16th attempt at the height since taking the record to 6.22 meters on Feb. 25, 2023.
He took six unsuccessful attempts at 6.24 in the winter indoor season before clearing it on his first outdoor attempt of 2024 in Xiamen.
DIAMOND LEAGUE: Full Results
“The indoor season wasn’t really what I wanted it to be,” he said. “I feel like it was all over the place, a little sloppier than I would have liked, so I think I brought a little bit of that fire from the indoor.”
Duplantis’ next barrier — 6.25 meters — is significant as he can become the first man to clear 20 feet, 6 inches.
Similar to Ukrainian Sergey Bubka in the 1980s and ‘90s, Duplantis has chosen to raise the bar by the minimum one centimeter for all of his world records dating to his first in February 2020. He receives bonus money every time he breaks it.
Bubka broke the outdoor world record 17 times and the indoor world record 18 times between 1984 and 1994, before World Athletics shifted to one world record combining indoor and outdoor.
Also Saturday, Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay, the reigning world champion in the 10,000m and world record holder in the 5000m, won the 1500m in 3:50.30, the third-fastest time in history. Only Kenyan Faith Kipyegon (3:49.11) and Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba (3:50.07) have run faster.
Tsegay runs third-fastest women’s 1500m in history
Gudaf Tsegay finished with the third-fastest women’s 1500m in history, posting a 3:50.30 in the Diamond League season-opening event in Xiamen, China.
Christian Coleman won the 100m in 10.13 seconds into a .6 meter/second headwind, edging Fred Kerley by four hundredths.
The U.S. boasts the last three world 100m champions (Coleman in 2019, Kerley in 2022 and Noah Lyles in 2023), plus two more world 100m medalists (Trayvon Bromell and Marvin Bracy-Williams). The top three at the Olympic Trials in June make the team for Paris in the individual 100m.
Olympic gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico overtook Bahamian Devynne Charlton to win the 100m hurdles in 12.45 seconds, prevailing by four hundredths.
The race also included reigning world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica (fourth, 12.56) and world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria (fifth, 12.58).
Australian Torrie Lewis won the 200m in 22.96, edging world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson by three hundredths. Richardson, who primarily races the 100m, was followed by three more Americans who could be 200m factors at June’s Olympic Trials — Tamara Clark, Anavia Battle and TeeTee Terry.
In a loaded women’s discus, American Valarie Allman, the Tokyo gold medalist, won with a 69.80-meter throw. She topped Cuban Yaime Pérez, who threw 68.83. Last Saturday, Pérez launched a 73.09-meter throw, the world’s farthest since July 1989.
Olympic gold medalist Gong Lijiao of China won the women’s shot put with a 19.72-meter throw, topping a field that included American Chase Jackson, the two-time reigning world champion who threw 19.62 for third.
American Shelby McEwen won the men’s high jump over co-Olympic gold medalist Mutaz Barshim of Qatar on countback by clearing 2.27 meters. McEwen was seventh at the 2023 Worlds.
The Diamond League moves next Saturday to Suzhou, China, live on Peacock from 7-9 a.m. ET.
Coleman holds off teammate Kerley in the 100m
Christian Coleman got the better of his teammate and former world champion Fred Kerley in the men’s 100m at the Xiamen Diamond League track and field athletics meet.
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