Duplantis ‘grinds’ for gold as stellar trio shine

Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis was the headline act as a trio of modern-day track and field greats starred on an electrifying night of action at the world indoor championships in Nanjing on Saturday.

- 

Duplantis was pushed all the way by Greece's Emmanouil Karalis in a battle royale before bagging a third world indoor pole vault gold with a best of 6.15m.

“We put on a good show for everybody/” said Duplantis. “It's great to be pushed and I'm happy for Manolo [Karalis]. I had to grind for it tonight.

“It’s good for me especially and it’s just great competition. It’s just such a higher level than what pole vault’s ever been, so it’s good. You just have to want it”

It was a truly pulsating competition, echoed in the men’s 3,000m won by a hair's breadth by Norway's multi-medalled Jakob Ingebrigtsen, incredibly for his first world indoor title.

The victory kept alive his tilt at a first world indoor 1,500/3,000m double since Ethiopian legend Haile Gebreselassie achieved the feat in 1999. The 1,500m final is was to take place last night (Thai time).