Duplantis Cleans Up 'Sloppy' Indoor Season With 6.24m Clearance In China

By Cathal Dennehy for DyeStat

Photos by Matt Quine for Diamond League AG

You’re not supposed to start your season with a world record. But then again, Mondo Duplantis has never been one to do things conventionally.

At the opening Diamond League meeting of the season Saturday in Xiamen, China, the Olympic and world champion took his event, and legacy, to new heights, soaring over a pole vault world record of 20 feet, 5.50 inches (6.24m).

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That was his eighth time rewriting the record and it was a measure of the Swedish star’s outlying ability that he had a whopping 42cm to spare on the night over runner-up Sam Kendricks. Amid all the adulation at Egret Stadium, perhaps Kendricks captured best the brilliance of Duplantis.

“He’s playing with a different set of cards. He’s got God’s hand on his back.”

Duplantis had never been to China before but he signaled the day before the meet that something special might be on the cards for the fans who turned out to see him. Despite winning the world indoor title in Glasgow last month, he was not satisfied with his indoor season, given it didn’t include a world record.

“It was a little sloppier than I’d have liked so I brought a bit of fire to this outdoor season,” he said. “I was really excited to get it started.”

Duplantis had the competition won with his six-meter clearance but with calm, warm conditions in Xiamen, he soon moved the bar up to a world record 6.24m. “I didn’t know how exactly my body would react but it definitely felt like it was within reach after that six-meter bar,” he said.

“For me to jump a world record I need everything to be in the right place; I’d never jumped here and I didn’t know what kind of track it was, but obviously it was okay,” he smiled. “Still winds, great energy from the crowd: pretty much everything added up to what I needed to jump high today.”

Having opened his season with a world record, might he go far higher this summer?

“It’s definitely possible, conditions-willing,” he said. “I’m going to try maximize the most of every day. There’s definitely more to give. There’s still some higher heights in me, for sure, as long as everything is in the right place.”

Meanwhile on the track, the best performance of the night came in the women’s 1,500 meters as Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay moved to third on the world all-time list, powering to victory in 3:50.30. She was followed home by compatriot Birke Haylom in 3:53.22, while USA's Addy Willey came home 11th in 4:03.45.

“It’s a surprise for me,” said Tsegay. “I knew I was in good shape in training, my mentality has changed.”

Tsegay, the reigning world 10,000 champion, will have a tough choice ahead about what events to run at the Paris Olympics. “Which one? I don’t know. Maybe three (events), maybe two.”

She was only a second behind Faith Kipyegon’s world record of 3:49.11 and plans to take a crack at that this year. “Why not break (it)?” she said. “I am training good, doing hard work. I ran 3:50. I should break it.”

The eagerly-awaited season debut of Sha’Carri Richardson saw the world 100-meter champion step up to 200, but despite racing to the front and holding a slight lead halfway down the home straight, she was caught just before the line by Australian teenager Torrie Lewis, who powered home from the outside lane to win in 22.96 (-0.4m/s) to Richardson’s 22.99.

“My goal was to hang on as long as I could,” Lewis said. “I didn’t even notice I’d beaten them until I saw the replay and I was like, ‘holy crap.’”

Richardson was all smiles despite the defeat. “I felt really good as a season opener,” she said. “I know what I need to work on and I’m excited for the next meet.”

An all-star line-up in the women’s 100-meter hurdles did not disappoint, with Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn keeping her cool and coming from behind to clock a meeting record of 12.45 (-0.2m/s) and edge world indoor champion Devynne Charlton (12.49) and France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela, who set a national record of 12.55 in third.

“I still got things to improve on,” Camacho-Quinn said. “I don’t think I had the worst start today but I’m known to run down (others) at the end so I wasn’t scared. I’m glad I got this race out of the way. Before I was telling coach, ‘I don’t think I’m ready’, but 12.4, knowing it wasn’t even a clean race? I’m ready to go back and fix what I need to do – I got things to do this year.”

Christian Coleman also kept a calm mind to take victory in the men’s 100 over US compatriot Fred Kerley in the battle of former world champions. Coleman didn’t get his trademark bullet start and had to come from behind to win in 10.13 (-0.6m/s), with Kerley second in 10.17 and Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake third with 10.20.

“Usually I’m out, 15 or 20 meters into the race, but I feel like today I was a step behind so I feel really good about the fact I was able to stay composed, stay in my lane and put together a good race,” Coleman said. “I’ll take some positives from this and keep getting better.”

There was an Ethiopian win in the men’s 5,000 meters where Lamecha Girma utilized his impressive speed to outkick Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir in 12:58.96. Marileidy Paulino got her season off to a strong start with victory in the women’s 400, the world champion edging Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek, 50.08 to 50.29. USA’s Britton Wilson took third in 51.26.

Pedro Pichardo of Portugal made an impressive return from injury after an 11-month spell on the sidelines to win the men’s triple jump, jumping 17.51 meters (57-5.50) in the final round.

Canada’s Marco Arop got his season off to a flying start in the men’s 800 meters, holding off the charge of Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal to win in 1:43.61. “It’s my fastest season opener and I feel pretty good so I’m looking forward to what’s to come,” Arop said. “If we’re able to stay healthy, then the best is yet to come. It’s going to be a great year. The goal is to make the Olympic final, something I’ve yet to do.”

Beatrice Chepkoech took a facile win in the women’s 3,000 steeplechase, clocking a world lead of 8:55.40.

Daniel Roberts produced a crisp, clean display to win the men’s 110-meter hurdles in 13.11 (-0.3m/s), with fellow American athlete Cordell Tinch second in 13.16 and Olympic champion Hansle Parchment only sixth in 13.33.

“To get a win against great competition in a world lead time, I can’t be mad at that,” Roberts said. “There are a whole lot of things I can improve; it’s early, I wanted to come out here, get a win and represent well. I’m excited I did that.”

U.S. star Valarie Allman produced a big throw to claim victory in a thrilling women’s discus, the Olympic champion launching it 229 feet (69.80m) in the fifth round to overtake Cuba’s Yaimé Pérez, who had a best of 225-10 (68.83m).

“I’m always grateful to start the season with a win, especially in such a talented field,” Allman said. “I felt such nerves at the start, it took me a minute to connect with my body. There are so many women in this sport pushing the boundary and you really have to be on it every week. I’m all in to try maximize these next few months on the way to the Olympics.”

USA’s Shelby McEwen edged Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim to win the men’s high jump on countback, both clearing a best of 2.27m (7-5.25) on what was a tricky night for jumping with a damp runway.

China’s Gong Lijiao thrilled the home crowd with a win in the women’s shot put, launching a 19.72m throw while in the women’s javelin, a non-Diamond League event, China’s Dai Qianqian claimed victory with 61.25m.