Armand Duplantis, the success of a family project that took him to the top of the world with a new pole vault world record

the Olympic champion Armand Duplantiswho this Saturday once again beat his own pole vault world record surpassing 6.22 meters at the Clermont-Ferrand meet, he has a successful history with solid pillars, established from early childhood in a healthy and competitive family environment.

Just follow him when, in each of his races, a success or a disappointment appears. It is common to see the young pole vaulter seek long-distance support from his parents, Greg and Helena, who are also his coaches. Only she was present in Clermont-Ferrand and he followed the test remotely.

Greg, an American with big arms, has had a remarkable career in this discipline (personal best of 5.80 meters) and supervises the technique, while Helena, a Swede and a former heptathlete, mainly deals with physical preparation.

Parents and coaches, a double facet that has nothing exceptional given the numerous similar cases in athletics. But the Duplantis succeeded a machine that works perfectlyfrom the family garden in Lafayette (Louisiana), where ‘Mondo’ learned the art of pole.

“When they have to dress up in coaching clothes, they do. But when it comes to watching a movie as a family, they have a normal parent-child relationship, very balanced, dynamic.”he explained to the international news agency AFP Brennan Robideauxdirector of a documentary about Duplantis, ‘Born To Fly’ (Born to fly).

“They’ve never been managers. They let their children find what’s best for them, they’re very good”underlines this man, who has been following in the footsteps of Armand Duplantis since he was 17 years old.

Greg and Helena were able to mold an athletic superstar into a energetic and hyperactive boyborn November 10, 1999 in Lafayette and who put his toys on the DVD in the dining room of his house.

“In his old videos, you see him in the background, non-stop, crying all the time. He was very emotional. He lived his life 200%. If he was sad, he would immediately show it with tears. If he was happy, he would jump all over the place . A real cartoon character”Robideaux recounted pictures of the baby Armand.

“Today he is still hyperactive, but he has learned to control himself”he pointed.

One way as any to channel that energy was pole vaulting in the outfield, where he was soon competing against his older brothers, Andreas and Antoine.

“Mondo wouldn’t be so good today if he didn’t have those two older brothers putting pressure on him, for sure. Even as a kid he was a fierce competitor.”remarked the director.

Andreas represented Sweden at the World Junior Championships in 2009, before giving up competing at a top level. Antoine is now a baseball player, recognized in the New York Mets, after being a top college student. His little sister Johanna, to whom Armand is very close, also practices the family’s favorite sport, but Armand soon becomes the more gifted brother for pole vaulting.

“At the age of 12 he had fun in his garden imitating the different vaulters and their styles. From a very young age he felt his body perfectly with the pole”he has declared Damian Innocentformer coach of French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie and longtime friend of the Duplantis family.

In this healthy and sporty environment, Armand Duplantis developed the first years of his training and was breaking almost all the unofficial world records in the junior categories.

At the age of 17 he jumped 5.90 meters at the Texas Relays in April 2017 in Austin and has already become a revelation to many.

With his unruly mane, good-boy face and gold earring, he looks like something out of a “teen” movie, a genre he particularly likes.

During his time at the University of Louisiana in August 2018, he became European champion in the overall category after a memorable competition, jumping 6.05 meters in Berlin.

In 2019, he finished second in the world in Doha (5.97 meters).

Duplantis later broke double the world record (6.17 and 6.18m) in February 2020 and became Olympic champion in August 2021, an unforgettable moment which, how could it be otherwise, he shared with his parents and coaches, architects of his greatest successes.

In 2022 he broke the world record three times, most recently at the World Championships in Eugene (USA). This Saturday he raised the ceiling even more and his potential suggests that he will continue to do so in the future.