For almost exactly a year ago, Duplantis set a new world record in Xiamen, when he jumped 6.24. Since then, he has improved that record three times. But this time, there were no world record heights for the super Swede.
Duplantis won the season premiere of the Diamond League comfortably, but "only" at 5.92.
Already at 5.72, the large starting field of ten had been halved, and after a further ten-centimeter increase, two more were eliminated. Only the Dutchman Menno Vloon and Duplantis' "arch-rival", Emmanouil Karalis from Greece, remained.
But, unsurprisingly, the battle for victory was never particularly dramatic. Duplantis left the two behind when he easily sailed over 5.92 and secured the win. But the Swede wanted more and made a further increase to 6.01.
But that's where it stopped.
The 25-year-old tried three times without succeeding, and thus remained for the first time this year under six meters.
In the same gala, Fanny Roos, shot put, Vanessa Kamga, discus, Leo Magnusson, 3,000 meter steeplechase, and Carl Bengtström, 300 meter hurdles, also participated, but none of them achieved any prominent placings.
Instead, Karsten Warholm, Norway, was the day's sensation when he set a world record in the 300 meter hurdles. The Norwegian broke the record by 21 hundredths and the new record on the somewhat unusual distance is 33.05.
