The crowd had seen him soar before. But this time, Stockholm shook. Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis did what only he could. Bend gravity to his will. And shattered his own world record again, clearing 6.28 meters at the Stockholm Diamond League. But this one carried a different kind of weight. This wasn’t just any stadium, any country, any meet. This was Sweden. This was home.

The 25-year-old had broken the world record eleven times before, in cities like Belgrade, Glasgow, and Clermont-Ferrand. But never here. Never in front of the fans who claimed him as their own. When he finally soared over the bar with barely a brush, it wasn’t just a moment of athletic triumph. It was a personal coronation. Duplantis ripped off his vest, beat his chest, and let the roar of the home crowd wash over him.

He had already won the competition after clearing 6.00 meters. His nearest rival, Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, couldn’t follow. But instead of settling for the win or even chasing his previous meet record of 6.16 meters, Duplantis set the bar at 6.28. No hesitation. No buildup. Just the decision. And then the flight. One perfect vault, one clean clearance, and a history rewritten in a flash of fiberglass and flight.

“This was one of my biggest goals and dreams, to set a world record here at Stadion. It’s like the Olympics and Stadion, they’re the same level for me. I really wanted to do it, I had my whole family here, from both sides, it’s magic, it’s magic. Every time I broke the world record, I felt it in my first jump that ‘this could be the day’, but today it felt a little tougher. It didn’t feel that natural from the beginning, it didn’t feel great in my legs, but I only needed one [try],” he said.

As he celebrated in the pit, surrounded by family and friends, the weight of it all was written across his face. This wasn’t just another record. This was his night. “Mondo” had done it in Sweden for the first time. And the moment was his alone.

It reflected in his words. “I almost couldn’t believe it, it felt like the very first time I broke the record. For me, I’m still a little hazy in my mind, it feels unreal, I’m just so happy, it’s a cloud nine feeling. It’s hard to explain, it’s hard to compare, it felt a bit like the Olympics.” 

He first claimed the world record back in February 2020, surpassing Renaud Lavillenie’s 6.16m mark with 6.17m in Poland. Since then, he’s inched it forward, one centimeter at a time, eleven more times. But nothing matched the thrill of this 12th leap. This wasn’t just another chapter in a career of dominance. This was Duplantis, the record-breaker, finally becoming the hometown hero. Surely enough, online fans could not stop marveling at the pole vault icon. 

Fans marvel at the Mondo Duplantis show in Stockholm

As soon as the news hit, fans online flocked to the comments section. After Duplantis cleared 6.28 meters with effortless grace and no hesitation, the disbelief was universal. His smooth run-up, perfect plant, and clean flight seemed beyond comprehension, prompting one fan to exclaim, “Holy cow! How is that even possible?” The comment summed up what everyone watching felt. Witnessing something that defied logic and gravity.

Duplantis didn’t just win, he dominated. With Australia’s Kurtis Marschall failing at 6.00m, the contest was long over. But Duplantis chose to raise the bar to 6.28 anyway. One fan joked, “His competitors should get stay away on event days lol,” highlighting how his presence alone seems to turn competition into a mere spectacle.

When Duplantis tore off his vest and pounded his chest after making history at home, it wasn’t a mere celebration. It was a legend in motion. That’s why one fan proclaimed, “This right here is the Greatest sportsman of the decade.” The way he elevates the sport itself backs the claim.

Mondo’s 12th world record was a calculated, almost business-like execution. Clearing the bar on his first attempt at 6.28 meters without showmanship beforehand, one fan cheekily remarked, “The man knows how to get his WR bonuses!” A nod to his growing legacy and value. The crowd in Stockholm erupted as if they were welcoming royalty. Surrounded by family, friends, and thousands of countrymen, Duplantis stood as the centerpiece of the track and field universe. “This is Mondo world, we just here to keep him company,” a fan aptly observed, capturing the scale of his dominance.

With 12 world records, Duplantis has practically redrawn the sport’s limits. Starting in Poland in 2020 and now finally doing it on Swedish soil, his supremacy in the pole vault feels total. That’s why a fan said, “Pole Vault should be named Mondo Vault or Duplantis Vault.” The event, in many ways, belongs to him now.

No athlete in track and field is as predictably transcendent as Duplantis right now. And after watching him bend physics with grace at home, fans turned to humor to express awe. One summed it up perfectly, saying, “At this point, Mondo could pole vault straight to heaven and high-five Jesus.” Hyperbole? Maybe. But earned. Thus, with things looking rosy, it remains to be seen what’s next for Mondo Duplantis.