In front of a roaring home crowd in Stockholm, Swedish pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis once again soared into the record books—clearing 6.28 metres to set his 12th career world record at the Diamond League meet on Sunday. And this time, the reward wasn’t just another title—it was a party with sprint legend Usain Bolt.
Conditions were ideal as the Olympic champion broke his own previous record by a centimetre on his very first attempt. “He said if I break the world record we can party tonight, so I’m sure it’s going to be a fun night with him, but I’m just so happy,” Duplantis told Swedish broadcaster SVT after the event.
Bolt, still the fastest man alive with 100m and 200m world records to his name, had traveled from Oslo to Stockholm especially for the event, teasing a “night out” challenge for Duplantis ahead of the competition. When Mondo delivered, the celebration was on.
The atmosphere at Stockholm’s historic Olympic Stadium was electric from the moment Duplantis was introduced. He had hyped the record attempt beforehand and asked the crowd to help push him through, which they did with thunderous applause at every vault.
Family played a huge role too. “There were so many of them, it took me 10 minutes to hug them all!” Duplantis said, referring to his parents, brothers, and even his grandmother and grandfather, all present for the milestone.
“My grandma, she wanted me to promise yesterday that I would break the world record today… and I’m glad that I could do it for her,” he added.
While Australia’s Kurtis Marschall briefly threatened at 5.90m, he couldn’t match Duplantis’ brilliance. After clinching the record, Mondo tore off his singlet in celebration, calling the moment “magic.”
“This was one of my biggest goals and dreams, to set a world record here at Stadion. It’s like the Olympics and Stadion—they’re the same level for me,” he said. “It didn’t feel that great in my legs today, but I only needed one (try).”
With this jump, Duplantis continues a jaw-dropping streak of pole vault records dating back to 2020. His latest leap confirms he’s not just rewriting the record books—he’s throwing a party on top of them.
