The only man standing on the track was the one everybody had come to see.
Victory had belonged to Armand “Mondo” Duplantis in
every functional sense since he had remembered to lug his poles into Stade de France.
He operates on a different plane than any other pole vaulter the sport has ever seen.
He trains for the moments when the competition is over,
when every eye is on him and his only rival is himself.
Duplantis had broken the world record eight times before Monday night.
One last jump would determine whether Duplantis could reduce the barrier between man and flight again, by one more centimeter
Duplantis failed on his first two tries to break his world record
Before his third, he spoke with his father and coach,
Greg, and decided on a crucial adjustment.