On September 17, 2025, Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden triumphed in breaking the men’s pole vault world record, the 14th time, on the world stage at the Tokyo world athletics championship. Also setting a personal 6.26 meters record on his final effort, the 25-year-old Pom outdid his own 6.25 meters record at the Diamond League final last month.

The Tokyo National Stadium was screaming, and the bar stood its ground, making Duplantis a world superstar. NBC Sports announced the news, and he was referred to as the uncontested king of pole vault. This is a feat that was now reported just minutes ago, with social media being dominated by the hashtag #MundoDuplantis, which is electrifying fans and redefining the sport.

Duplantis’ Meteoric Rise: The Wunderkind to the World Record Machine

The story of Armand Duplantis on his way to the top in pole vaulting is one of ability and perseverance. He was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, of a Swedish Mother and an American father, both former vaulters, so he was born to greatness. At the age of 17, he shocked the European championships of 2018, with a 6.05-meter vault, taking gold.

The record was the first of his 6.17 meters in 2020, since then, a spree which has seen him smash the mark 13 times prior to today. Every jump stretches the limits, and his 6.26 meters in Tokyo, which is just one centimetre above his previous record, became the new standard in an already lofty career of Olympic and world champions.

The last, under the full evening skies of Tokyo, was masterly. Duplantis skimmed over the initial heights, and his fireworks were housed at 6.26 meters. Competitors such as American Sam Kendricks, with 5.95 meters silver, and Thibault Collet of France, with 5.90 meters bronze, continued to put pressure on him, but Duplantis, with his combination of speed and swagger, was unreachable.

“The energy of the crowd actually boosted me,” he said to reporters, his famous cool covering the fact that it was a record-breaking night. This leap places him on top of legend Sergey Bubka in the outdoor record breaks, although his total record is pushed to the edge.

Art of Vaulting: The Formula Used by Duplantis to Win

Pole vaulting is the art that requires a rare combination of speed, power and bravery, and Duplantis is its master. His 10.3-second 100m sprint gives him a run-up that shoots him up into the air, and the flexibility of his pole, which is set to his 75kg body, goes against the laws of physics.

The 6.26-meter vault of today demanded a top speed of 5.6 meters per second, which was developed with the aid of sledge pulls, plyometrics and VR-enhanced exercises. His mind, trained by sports psychologists, overcomes the horror that is the sport: the clearing of heights that are almost as high as a two-story building.

Duplantis has charisma, which increases his influence. After the vault, he performed to the cheers of the Tokyo audience of 55,000 people, which is a reference to his guest appearance at Coachella in 2024.

His competitiveness with Kendricks, which is friendly but intense, brings a narrative component, reminiscent of the gold duels in the track. “It was the rewriting of history by Mondo,” Kendricks said after the event, gracefully defeated. The mark set under perfect 23°C and light wind conditions has been a new record, and pundits already have a target of 6.30 meters in sight.

Tokyo Blockbuster Stage: Shine World Championships

The World Championship 2025 is an international event, and day five in Tokyo was the one that made the difference. In addition to the heroics of Duplantis, Faith Kipyegon of Kenya narrowly won the event in the 1500m of women, and Eleanor Patterson of Australia caused an uproar in the high jump event.

The National Stadium, where the second major athletics competition in the post-2020 Olympics took place, was charged with energy, which was enhanced by a global audience with the help of BBC and NBC feeds. It reached 200 million viewers, according to initial estimates, and JioHotstar of India shot during parallel events.

Sweden is glorifying its golden son, and the city of Stockholm is laying out a welcome for a hero. X posts were filled with videos of his vault, one of them equating the height of 6.26 meters to a double-decker bus. This awed the fan who tweeted that “Mondo makes the impossible look easy.” The championships, which continue until September 22, have shifted to sprints and throws; however, the moment Duplantis, who is in the presence of legends such as Allyson Felix, sets the tone.

A Competitive Cauldron: Competitors Take the Lead

The pole vault final was not a walk in the park. Sam Kendricks, the two-time world medalist, reached 5.95 meters with grit, and Thibaut Collet’s bronze of 5.90 meters marked the beginning of the rise of vaulting in France.

The deepest moments of the event were brought out by the 5.80-meter also-run of Kurtis Marschall, the best athlete of Australia, which is enough to bring to an end dreams by a single wobble. Even the three unsuccessful attempts at the 6.27 meters by Duplantis proved that he is human, but his clutch performance under pressure left those who doubted him quiet. His next target? Indoor record haul of Bubka, perhaps on the 2026 European Indoors.

The intensity of the field corresponds to the development of the pole vault. Niche it once was, now a star event, courtesy of the star of the business, Duplantis. The fights he has with Kendricks and Collet are likened to Bolt vs. Gatlin, and fans can hardly resist watching. The ideal weather conditions of Tokyo, which were no wind and warm weather, assisted the skill of Duplantis in grasping the moment, which meant everything on the day.

Pole Vault Renaissance: Global Ripple Effects

The 14th record by Duplantis is a blessing to athletics, a sport that struggles to be relevant like a juggernaut in soccer. The World Athletics writes of a 15 per cent ballooning sponsorship, with Nike supposedly raising its agreement to 5 million per year.

In Sweden and the U.S., youth programs record an increase in enrolment, as pole vault camps keep doubling since his Olympic gold in 2021. His popularity transcends national boundaries culturally: he was a native-born American who was meant to compete in Sweden, but is now an international ambassador, who speaks three languages and is a fashion icon.

In the case of Tokyo 2025, his record takes an already dramatic championship to another new level. Japan is recovering from its 2021 Olympic hosting and athletics tourism skyrockets, with hotels registering 90 per cent occupancy.

This is what Duplantis accomplished in front of 55,000 spectators live and millions of others via the internet, which makes him the face of athletics, and he does not reject the responsibilities of being a boyish one.

The Future: Paris 2028 and Beyond

As the Paris 2028 Olympics are in the offing, Duplantis is already focused on a third Olympic gold, possibly at 6.30 meters. His short-term target is the Brussels Diamond League, in which he will debut new poles.

The obstacles are near–worn outness, little ankle pains–but his group, under coach Tim Mack, keeps him down to earth. “Records are mere procedures,” Duplantis said today and had already his eyes on the next bar.

This is the victory of Tokyo, on September 17, 2025, and this victory makes Duplantis the unquestioned star of pole vaulting. He is not only breaking records but elevating a sport to a whole new level by making a technical event the must-see TV.