Mondo Duplantis broke the men’s pole vault world record for a 14th time to win a third consecutive World Outdoor Championship, extending a two-plus-year win streak.
Duplantis, a Swede born and raised in Louisiana with an American dad and Swedish mom, cleared 6.30 meters (20 feet, 8 inches) on his third and final attempt in Tokyo on Monday.
Duplantis prevailed over Greek Manolo Karalis (6.00 meters) and Australian Kurtis Marschall (5.95).
Duplantis has now won 36 competitions in a row since August 2023, breaking the world record eight times in that stretch alone, including also on his third and final attempt at the Paris Olympics. He broke the world record for the first time in February 2020.
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“I know people think I just do it (break world records) in the backyard all the time,” Duplantis said, referencing his upbringing, learning how to pole vault behind his family home in Lafayette, Louisiana. “It doesn’t quite work out that way even though I am able to rack up quite a few of them. You have to get the numbers right. You have to get everything perfect. You’ve got to get the tiny little details right to be able to make it. Just trying to work it out with me and the pops (a former pole vaulter) and my mom (a former heptathlete), just trying to work the details out.”
Duplantis, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, chose to increase the world record by the minimum one centimeter for all 14 of his successful attempts.
It’s the same record-breaking strategy used by Ukrainian Sergey Bubka, who maximized bonus money by raising the bar one centimeter at a time on many occasions in the 1980s and ‘90s.
Bubka broke the outdoor world record 17 times and the indoor world record 18 times between 1984 and 1994, before World Athletics shifted to one world record combining indoor and outdoor.
Before Duplantis, the world record was 6.16 meters, set by Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie in 2014.
Duplantis is the second man to win three world outdoor pole vault titles in a row after Bubka, who won the first six crowns from 1983 through 1997.
Also Monday, Ditaji Kambundji was the surprise 100m hurdles winner, lowering her personal best from 12.40 to 12.24 to become the first Swiss woman to win an Olympic or world outdoor title in any track and field event.
Kambundji was followed by world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria (12.29) and Americans Grace Stark (12.34) and Masai Russell (12.44, hit the fifth hurdle), the Olympic gold medalist.
New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, 11th going into the last lap, overtook Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco by seven hundredths to win the 3000m steeplechase, two days after getting spiked in the face in the first round.
WHAT A FINISH ‼
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) September 15, 2025
🇳🇿’s Geordie Beamish is the 3000m steeplechase world champion 🤯🤯
After a spike to the face in the heats, he kicks to 8:33.88 in the 3000m steeplechase to edge out 🇲🇦’s Soufiane El Bakkali in a dramatic finish 🔥#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/9eZmqW2sgX
Beamish, the first Kiwi to win a world outdoor title in any running event, denied El Bakkali a fifth consecutive global steeple title in five years.
Canadian Camryn Rogers won a third consecutive global title in the hammer with an 80.51-meter throw, becoming the second-best performer in history behind world record holder Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland (82.98).
Olympic gold medalist Cole Hocker was disqualified for jostling in the final stretch of his 1500m semifinal. An appeal to reinstate him was denied.
The World Championships continue Tuesday with finals including the women’s 1500m (9:05 a.m. ET) and men’s 110m hurdles (9:20 a.m. ET). The finals session coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock (world feed).
