Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis once again redefined the limits of pole vaulting on Tuesday, breaking his own world record with a clearance of 6.29 metres at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. It was the 13th time the 25-year-old has set a new world mark, continuing a remarkable streak of dominance in the sport.
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The two-time Olympic and world champion maintained his habit of raising the bar by just one centimetre, surpassing the 6.28m he achieved in Stockholm in June. His record-setting leap came on the second attempt at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial, rattling the bar slightly but leaving it in place to the roar of the crowd.
“I love Hungary very much. The track is very good, I love the crowd, I would like to return, thank you,” Duplantis said after celebrating with his partner Desire Inglander and his family in the stands. Budapest holds special significance for the Swede, who also claimed his second world title at the same venue in 2023.
The evening had not begun perfectly for Duplantis. He missed his first attempt at 6.11m, and after Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis bowed out at the same height, the Swede raised the bar for a world record try. His first attempt at 6.29m was unsuccessful, but on the second, he soared over — adding another chapter to his growing legend.
Duplantis had hinted at such a performance the day before, apologising for missing most of the pre-event press conference and joking that he would “make up for it tomorrow with a big leap.” True to his word, he delivered one of the season’s most electrifying moments.
The new record takes Duplantis 15 centimetres higher than the once untouchable mark set by Ukrainian great Sergey Bubka, who the Swede has described as “mythological.” The American-born athlete first claimed the world record in February 2020 with a 6.17m jump in Poland, surpassing Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie’s 6.16m from 2014. Since then, he has pushed the boundaries of the sport with unmatched consistency.
Duplantis will next compete at the Silesia Diamond League on Saturday — the same event where he set a world record last year — as he continues his quest to elevate pole vaulting to unprecedented heights.
