Mondo Duplantis made a spectacular start to the 2024 Wanda Diamond League season in Xiamen on Saturday, breaking his own world pole vault record with a height of 6.24m. The 24-year-old Swedish athlete, who is the Olympic and world champion, cleared the bar on his first attempt, surpassing the previous record he set in Eugene during the 2023 Wanda Diamond League final.
Expressing his excitement about competing in China for the first time, Duplantis also mentioned that he is eager to kickstart his season. He recently won the world indoor title in Glasgow with a height of 6.10m. With over three months remaining before he defends his Olympic title in Paris, Duplantis will be looking to further improve his performance.
This is only the second time Duplantis has started his outdoor season with a clearance over six meters. His previous season opener was a 6.02m success at the Doha Diamond League meeting in 2022. With this new world record, Duplantis has now set a total of eight world records in his career, with his first being a 6.17m jump in Torun in 2020. The record is subject to the usual ratification process.