CLERMONT-FERRAND: Sweden’s Armand Duplantis soared 6.27 metres to shatter the world pole vault record for a staggering 11th time at the All Star Perche meet in Clermont-Ferrand on Friday.

The two-time Olympic and world champion cleared the record height on his first attempt to break his previous global mark of 6.26 set in Silesia in August, sparking track-side fireworks that lit up the arena.

Emmanouil Karalis was second with a Greek record clearance of 6.02m as six men cleared 5.91m or higher for the first time in a single competition.

Duplantis easily cleared heights of 5.65m, 5.91m, 6.02m, and 6.07m and with the victory secured, he had the bar raised to 6.27 for his world-record attempt.

Duplantis has bettered the world record by a centimetre in each of his 11 times, dating back to 2020. He has broken his global mark four times in the last 11 months alone.

Renaud Lavillenie of France held the world record of 6.16, set in 2014, before the Swedish star kicked off his onslaught.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025