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Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis is soaring proof that there is no limit to human achievement

Rohit Brijnath

Legends in their own right, pole vault king Armand Duplantis (left) and sprint great Usain Bolt come together at the World Athletics Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on June 15. PHOTO: AFP

UPDATED Jun 22, 2025, 02:21 AM

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A kid in a backyard with a stick is thinking about the idea of extraordinary flight. He’s three years old and has a feeling which he can’t fully explain. “When I was in diapers,” said pole vaulter Armand Duplantis of early days in his backyard, “I wanted to be the best that’s ever lived – to break the world record.”

The world record is temporary yet titanic, a journey to where no one human has been. It is one person with an inner swagger redrawing the boundaries of achievement for billions. It is a realisation of the potential of the planet.

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