Armand "Mondo" Duplantis breaks pole vault world record in gold-medal performance at Olympics

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — The pole vaulter they call “Mondo” really can put on a show.

With the rest of the action at the Olympic track wrapped up for the evening and the crowd of 80,000 at the Stade de France still on their feet, Armand Duplantis rested the pole on his right shoulder and took a deep breath. Then, he lifted up that long piece of carbon fiber and took off down the runway and into the night sky.

Another Olympic gold medal already was his. When he came crashing down into the padding on the other side of that sky-high, pink-tinted bar, so was another world record.

Duplantis, the Louisiana-born 24-year-old who competes for his mother's native Sweden, cleared 6.25 meters (20 feet, 6 inches) to break the world record for the ninth time — but the first time on his sport’s grandest stage.

His next move was a sprint to the stands to hug his girlfriend and celebrate his record and second Olympic gold with all those friends and family wearing yellow and blue. The country's king and queen were on hand, as well, to witness Sweden's latest history-making leap into the pole vault pit.

“It’s hard to understand, honestly,” he said. “If I don’t beat this moment in my career, then I’m pretty OK with that. I don’t think you can get much better than what just happened.”

It felt only right that the Duplantis drama came with Noah Lyles in the building.

A night after the American sprint star electrified track with a .005-second victory in the men's 100 meters, Lyles was on hand to receive his gold medal and watch Duplantis electrify field to the tune of 6.25 meters — about the height of a typical two-story building.

The drama played out over a half hour at the end of the night, long after a slow-and-strange women's 5,000 meters had wrapped up and after Keely Hodgkinson had captured the first track medal for Britain at this meet in the 800, the evening's last race.

That usually signals a time for folks to start heading for the exits.

But Mondo's encore was worth staying for, and most everyone did.

“Mondo is an extraordinary jumper because of four factors,” said American Sam Kendricks, who finished second. “One, he’s got a great coach for a long time. He’s had a lot of time to do it. He’s got great equipment and understanding of the event. He’s a fan of sport, and he’s got God’s hand on his back.”

By winning a second straight gold medal and breaking the record for the ninth time — each time by one centimeter — Duplantis is now next to, if not above, Sergei Bubka as the greatest ever in this event.

Duplantis is in the conversation with America’s Ryan Crouser, a world-record holder and three-time gold medalist in shot put, as among the most dominant athletes on the field side of this sport.

And when it comes to delivering great theatre, as he showed once again, Duplantis is in a class of his own.

After he sealed the victory over Kendricks, then captured the Olympic record by clearing 6.10 meters, Duplantis had the bar moved to one centimeter higher than the world-record height.

Following his first miss, he used a break while Lyles was receiving t he gold medal for his 100-meter victory, to study video on a tablet with his parents, who met decades ago while they were both on the LSU track and field team.

Another miss ensued, then another long break.

The fans clapped in rhythm and sang along to the French song “Alleur de Feu” — “Light the Fire” — getting ready for Mondo’s leap into history.

A home-grown talent, Duplantis learned this sport on a pole vault pit his parents dug in their back yard in Lafayette, Louisiana.

During long afternoons of jumping in that pit, Duplantis often envisioned himself going for a world record on his last jump at the Olympics.

Maybe not in the equation — the parties that world record and Olympic title would set off. An hour after the stadium cleared, the song “Dancing Queen” by the Swedish group ABBA was playing loud and proud outside the stadium.

“For it to actually happen the way that it did and for me to put the right jump together at the right time, it’s just, like, how do you explain it?” he said. "It’s bigger than words for me.”

Duplantis was the closing act on a night that included an upset by Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet in the women’s 5,000 meters. One of the world’s best distance runners, Chebet’s Kenyan teammate Faith Kipyegon, ended up with silver, but only after winning an appeal of her initial disqualification for trading elbows with world-record holder Gudaf Tsegay.

The appeal left Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands with the bronze medal. Hassan will also race in the 10,000 and marathon, trying to duplicate her three distance medals from the Tokyo Games.

Lyles returned to the track the day after his memorable win in the 100 meters to start the quest for his second gold, this one in the 200.

He won his opening heat in 20.19 seconds, then stuck around to receive his gold medal.

He said he did it all on only a little more than 4 hours of sleep.

“I had to stop watching the race,” he said of his decision to call it a night at 2:45 a.m. after his win. “Throughout the day, it’s kind of just been meandering trying to get the body started, jump starting it.”

Val Allman won her second straight Olympic gold with a throw of 69.50 meters to easily top China's Feng Bin.

The medals from Allman and Kendricks gave the U.S. 11 so far in the meet, including three golds.

​Keely Hodgkinson captured Britain’s first gold medal of the track meet, winning the 800 meters in 1:56.72.

This gold goes with the silver she took behind Athing Mu in 2021. Mu did not qualify for the Olympics after getting tripped up during the U.S. trials.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Faith Kipyegon, of Kenya, right, fights for the lead with Gudaf Tsegay, of Ethiopia, during the women's 5000 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Valarie Allman, of the United States, gestures after winning the gold medal in the women's discus throw final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Keely Hodgkinson, of Britain, celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's 800 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, gets a kiss after setting a new world record during the men's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, competes in the men's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Sam Kendricks, of the United States, reacts after winning the silver medal in the men's pole vault at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Valarie Allman, of the United States, celebrates after winning the women's discus throw final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Valarie Allman, of the United States, celebrates after winning the women's discus throw final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Keely Hodgkinson, of Britain, celebrates after winning the women's 800-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, clears the bar at 6.25 to set a new world record during the men's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Kenneth Bednarek, of the United States, prepares for a heat in the men's 200-meter at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Chun-Han Yang, of Taiwan, Andre de Grasse, of Canada, Noah Lyles, of the United States, Bryan Levell, of Jamaica, and Towa Uzawa, of Japan, run in a men's 200 meters round 1 heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Faith Kipyegon, of Kenya,, right, fights for the lead with Gudaf Tsegay, of Ethiopia, during the women's 5000 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Noah Lyles, of the United States, crosses the finish line ahead of Andre de Grasse, left, of Canada, to win his men's 200-meters' heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Sam Kendricks, of the United States, left, and Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, celebrate after the men's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, reacts after setting a new Olympic record in the men's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, reacts after setting a new world record in the men's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, clears the bar at 6.25 to set a new world record during the men's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Colorado Rockies left Texas as the first team in baseball’s modern era to lose 36 of their first 43 games and hoping an off day in Arizona can help them reset.

“That’s the plan,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said Wednesday night following an 8-3 loss to the Texas Rangers that was Colorado's 11th in the last 12 games. “We’re looking forward to (the day off), and we’re looking forward to getting after the Diamondbacks in Arizona.”

At 7-36, the Rockies have lost all 14 series this season. The Rangers became the seventh team to sweep Colorado.

Third baseman Ryan McMahon, a 2024 All-Star who played on Colorado playoff teams in 2017-18, has a simple message for his teammates.

“Just keep going,” McMahon said in the quiet clubhouse. “You’ve got to keep your head down. You’ve got to keep putting the work in. We’ve got a lot of areas we can improve in, and that’s the only way we’re going to improve.”

The Rockies are 2-20 on the road, matching four other teams as the worst record after 22 games in the modern era. Wednesday’s starting pitcher, Antonio Senzatela, has dropped 10 consecutive road starts since the beginning of 2022.

Colorado has struggled out of the gate in many games. It has been outscored 44-15 in first innings. In their last two losses at Texas, Rockies pitching allowed three runs to the first three hitters Tuesday, and four through the first four Wednesday.

“We’ve got to find a way to start the game better,” said Schaeffer, previously the team’s third base coach before replacing Bud Black on Sunday.

Schaeffer is winless in three games and says he has no quarrel with effort or morale.

“The boys are getting after it,” he said. “In the clubhouse before the game. All the preparatory work. In the dugout. Pitchers that aren’t pitching are getting after it during the game. Hey, maybe a little too much. But we need to find that even keel where we can get the job done.”

For a team seeking a silver lining, consider that one of the other teams that opened 2-20 on the road went to the World Series — the 2005 Houston Astros.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela, right, leaves play as interim manager Warren Schaeffer, left, and catcher Jacob Stallings stand on the mound during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Colorado Rockies' Adael Amador stands in the dugout after lining out to Texas Rangers shortstop Josh Smith during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Colorado Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer, right, looks on as Kyle Farmer (6) prepares to bat during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings (25) carries his gear as he walks from the dugout at the end of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)