Duplantis the invincible

Sweden's Armand Duplantis cemented his place in pole vaulting history by defending his Olympic crown in world record-setting style on Monday to underline his total dominance in the discipline.

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The 24-year-old US-born prodigy, often described as a rock star of athletics by World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe, set a new world record of 6.25 metres as he claimed a second gold.

It was the first time in 68 years, since Bob Richards in 1952 and 1956, that a vaulter has won backto-back titles.

Duplantis has been practically unbeatable over the last five years, winning every major title in the sport after being beaten at the Doha worlds in 2019 by American Sam Kendricks, who won silver on Monday.

Duplantis won Olympic gold in Tokyo before winning back-toback outdoor World Championships in 2022 and 2023. He added two world indoor crowns in 2022 and 2024 as well as three straight European Championship titles in 2018, 2022 and 2024.