At 23, the two-time outdoor world champion broke the world record for the seventh time, which he had hoisted to 6.22m in February in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
The country stadium of Hayward field, in the small town of Eugene (northwest), succeeds to this athlete who was born and raised in the United States, in Louisiana: he had conquered his first outdoor world champion title in July 2021 by jumping to 6.21 m, then a new record.
After clearing 6.02m, Duplantis took advantage of Eugene's perfect conditions (sun, about 27 degrees) to clear 6.23m on his first attempt.
A true prodigy of the discipline, "Mondo", his nickname, Swedish by his mother, is undefeated in seventeen competitions this season.
Since his breakthrough with a European Championship title in Berlin in 2018 at the age of 18, thanks to a jump of 6.05m, Duplantis has won three world titles (including one indoors) and Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021. After erasing the record of Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie (6.17m against 6.16m) in February 2020, he has since improved his record centimeter by centimeter.
The former Louisiana State University (LSU) athlete has always been coached by his parents, after learning his art in the family garden. In recent years he has divided his time between his native region and Sweden.
© 2023 AFP