Armand Duplantis, a Swedish pole vaulter, made a strong statement ahead of the Paris Olympics by breaking his own world record with a 6.24 meters effort at the first Diamond League meeting of the 2024 season in Xiamen, China. This surpassed his previous record of 6.23 meters set at the Eugene Diamond League finale in September. He cleared the bar with ease and celebrated his achievement at his first outdoor event of the year. This was the eighth time Duplantis broke the world record, establishing himself as a dominant force in pole vaulting.
As he heads into his second Olympic Games in July and August, Duplantis is considered the firm favorite to succeed in the prestigious event. Meanwhile, Australian Torrie Lewis had an impressive Diamond League debut by winning the women’s 200m gold in a tight race against strong American competitors like Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson finished second, showcasing the talent and competitiveness in the field of sprinting.
In other events, Marileidy Paulino, the world champion, started her season on a high note by winning the women’s 400m event in a time of 50.08 seconds. She was followed by Natalia Kaczmarek and Britton Wilson in the top three positions. In addition to this, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn dominated