Mondo Duplantis narrowly missed out on setting a new pole vault world record at the World Indoor Tour in Dusseldorf on Tuesday evening.
The American-born Swede won the competition with a clearance of 6.00m, a world lead and also a meeting record. He then had the bar raised to 6.17m, one centimetre higher than Renaud Lavillenie world record set six years ago.
On his second attempt, the 20-year-old came agonisingly close, nudging the bar with his knee on the way over and then brushing it with his arm on the way down.
THIS close to a WR for Duplantis... pic.twitter.com/Cyildr7pGT
— Athletics World (@Athletics_World) February 4, 2020
"I thought it was possible," Duplantis said afterwards.
"That second attempt at 6.17 was as good as I could have expected.
"Training's been going really well. I feel very fit, very in shape. You don't think that everything's going to be put together in your first meet just because you're physically fit. But it came together. It came together nicely, it came together at a good time.
"You try to not look at the bar so much because it could cause some bad technical things. It's really hard because I've never attempted the world record.
"I'm looking up there and it's almost like a sentimental moment. It brought a tear to my eye because you're looking at it and you're like, 'This is it, this is the world record'.
"My whole life, since I was four years old, I wanted to break the world record. I didn't make it of course. Just to be attempting it is a really cool moment. I really enjoyed that brief second."
— Mondo Duplantis (@mondohoss600) February 4, 2020
He also paid tribute to his mother who was watching on in the crowd.
"My mother is there just as much, maybe more than my father," he said.
"Obviously I'm not taking any credit away from my father but I think my mom deserves a lot more respect than she gets. I think a lot of people think it's my father that does all the behind-the-scenes work. My mother does just as much.
"My father couldn't make it, unfortunately, but the fact that my mother was here makes it absolutely special. She's the reason why I'm in the position that I am today. She's the person that should be here."
"It almost brought a tear to my eye 'cause you're looking at it and you think 'this is it, this is the world record'. My whole life I wanted to be the world record-holder. I didn't make it of course, but just to be attempting it is a cool moment." – @mondohoss600#WorldIndoorTour pic.twitter.com/tKrhM3qk2c
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 4, 2020
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