Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis of Sweden broke his world record – yet again – Tuesday (12 August) at the Gyulai István Memorial in Budapest.
He was just one of several major stars taking part in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, as the 2025 World Championships, set for September in Tokyo, loom large. The Netherlands’ Femke Bol notched a win in the women’s 400m hurdles, while Jamaican superstar Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finished fourth in the women’s 100m.
In the pole vault competition, Duplantis had a rare early miss, failing to clear 5.62m on his first attempt. He was safely over on his second try, and then again on his first chance at 5.82m.
He and Olympic bronze medallist Emmanouil Karalis were the only two competitors remaining after 5.82m. Both men cleared 6.02m on their opening tries, while both missed their first attempts at 6.11m.
Duplantis went over the height on his second attempt, while Karalis fell short before retiring from the competition. He then went on to clear 6.29m on his second try – a 13th world record for the Swede.
Australia’s Kurtis Marschall was third, having cleared 5.82m successfully.
Four-time Olympic medallist Bol took an easy win in the women’s 400m hurdles. She finished more than two seconds ahead of Belgium’s Naomi Van Den Broeck, 52.24 to 54.50. American Jasmine Jones rounded out the top three with a 54.61.
Fraser-Pryce, who has said this will be her final competitive season, clocked 11.07 to finish just off the podium in the women’s 100m.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith was the winner at 10.97, followed by a trio of Jamaicans: Tina Clayton (10.99), Shericka Jackson (11.00) and Fraser-Pryce.