Armand Duplantis becomes a legend after his new gold medal in Paris 2024

This Monday was a historic day for world athletics at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after Sweden’s Armand Duplantis took an uncontested victory in the pole vault, also setting a world record (6.25 metres) and leaving the Stade de France in Saint Denis to acclaim.

In front of almost 80,000 people, Duplantis demonstrated why he is the best pole vaulter in history. He took home his second Olympic gold without any opposition and, having secured it, he tried to delight the whole world with his attempt to break the world record.

He ordered the bar to be set at 6.25 metres, one centimetre more than the record he held. He tried once. It didn’t work. He tried again. It didn’t work either. On the third try, with the stadium cheering him on, he started the race, looked up, propelled himself with his pole and completed a clean jump that put him in the Olympus of the greatest athletes in history.

The world record brought a lot of excitement to Saint Denis and Duplantis himself went to celebrate his feat with the fans at the end of the distance where he had jumped. His parents, in the stands, with tears in their eyes, proudly enjoyed their son, a prodigy whose limits are known to this day.

A few minutes earlier, on the purple track, the final of the women’s 5,000 metres was vibrant, with the tremendous rivalry between the Ethiopian athletes against the Kenyans, with elbows included, and with a special guest at the party, the Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who had arrived at the event determined to win the Olympic titles in the 5,000, 10,000 and marathon.

She was unable to achieve the first of her goals, although she did get on the podium to collect a silver medal due to the disqualification of world record holder Faith Kipyegon for those elbows. The victory went to Beatrice Chebet, who overtook her compatriot with fifty metres to go with a change of pace that showed who had the most strength to reach that finish. She stopped the clock at 14:28.56.

Olympic gold in the discus was retained by American Valarie Allman, who made a decisive effort with a throw of 69.50m on her fourth attempt, almost two metres more than China’s Bin Feng, who managed 67.51m. Third place went to Croatia’s Sandra Elkasevic with a personal best of 67.51m.

French discus thrower Melina Robert-Michon has entered another record book in athletics, equalling the American Merlene Ottey, who also participated in seven Olympic events between Moscow 1980 and Sydney 2000, with seven Games.

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