Swedish pole-vaulting sensation Armand Duplantis, fresh off setting his 12th world record by clearing 6.28 metres in Stockholm, expressed confidence on Monday that reaching 6.40 metres is “in the realm of possibility.”
The 25-year-old double Olympic champion, who achieved his latest record at the Stockholm Diamond League meet on June 15, told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, “I’ve always believed that I’m able to keep pushing higher, and of course I’ve shown now that I’m very, very close to 6.30 metres.”
He added his ambition to “get to 6.30m as soon as possible” and then target “6.40m; that would be another crazy barrier… that also feels like it’s in the realm of possibility for me.”
Duplantis admitted he was surprised by his Stockholm record, as he “didn’t feel like my best” and “was probably the worst that I felt for a world record jump, honestly, before.”
He attributed it to hitting “the right jump at the right time.”
Celebrating the record in his home country with friends and family, he confirmed he’s “fully recovered now and ready to start jumping again.”
In other news, Duplantis revealed plans to release his second song, titled “4L” (meaning “For Life”), on Friday at midnight.
This follows his debut single, “Bop,” in February, indicating a growing interest in music as a hobby.
He seeks another pastime to provide a mental break, noting his enjoyment of golf despite Sweden’s cold climate.
