Pole vaulter breaks world record for 14th time

Discover the science behind an athlete's record-breaking exploits.

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Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis has broken yet another world record. In pole vaulting, the competitor runs towards a high bar and uses a long bendy pole to jump over it. The person who leaps the highest - without knocking the bar off - wins. Duplantis is currently the best pole vaulter in the world. He has not been beaten since July 2023, and since 2020 has set 14 world records.

At the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, the Swedish athlete cleared a height of 6.30 metres, smashing his own previous record. That's the same height as a two-storey house. On average, he sets a new world record three times each year.