Rome (AFP)

Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis put in the best outdoor performance ever, crossing a bar at 6.15m on Thursday at the Diamond League meeting in Rome.

The world record holder (6.18 m, successful in February indoors) erases Sergeï Bubka from the shelves, who jumped 6.14 m in July 1994 in Sestriere (Italy).

Duplantis succeeded in his second attempt at the end of a competition which he largely dominated, for lack of great adversity.

After having struck hard this winter by dispossessing the French Renaud Lavillenie of his world record, the Swede had made the "record" outdoors his summer goal, failing to be able to compete in the Olympic Games, postponed to 2021, or the Euro, canceled due to the health crisis.

The European champion (2018), for whom the symbolic bar of 6 m has now become a simple formality, had moved somewhat closer to Bubka with a jump to 6.07 m this summer without succeeding until then to unbolt the ancient legend of the perch.

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