Duplantis opens season with modest vault to victory

Pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis opened his year by clearing a modest 5.80 metres indoors on Saturday as he won in Astana.

It was the first time since 2019, when he was not yet a world record holder, that “Mondo” had started a year by failing to clear six metres.

The 24-year-old Swede, who last summer raised his world record to 6.23m, started on Saturday by clearing 5.60m. He then failed twice before clearing 5.80m but failing three times at 6.00m.

Duplantis still won the competition in Astana, the first big meeting of the winter, ahead of Belgium’s Ben Broeders (5.70m).

The Swedish athlete, who will aim to defend his Olympic title in Paris in August, is due to compete in Uppsala in early February and then in Clermont-Ferrand in France at the end of February in a pole vault meet, the “All Star Perche” organised by his good friend Renaud Lavillenie, the 2012 Olympic champion.

He should conclude his indoor season with the World Championships in Glasgow in early March.