Pole vault giant Armand Duplantis received from the international athletics federation World Athletics (WA) not only more than 650,000 kronor for his World Championship gold. He also received more than 960,000 kronor for his world record of 6.30 meters, which he set in the World Championship final in Tokyo.
I've already told him that another world record means World Athletics won't have a Christmas party, and that two world records mean the summer party will also be cancelled, says WA chairman Sebastian Coe jokingly when he summarizes the Tokyo championships on the last final evening of the World Championship.
There are 105 people who hope we don't get so many world records at this critical point. But of course, the ultimate, which we hope for, is that he continues to deliver as he always does.
Coe says that what characterized Duplantis' gold and record evening was that 57,000 spectators stayed on at the National Arena in Tokyo to follow the Swedish-American's record jumping when all other events were completed – and that many stayed on long afterwards and hardly wanted to go home.
This is a luxury problem, means Coe.
