World record holder Duplantis set for London return

Armand Duplantis, the reigning world record holder, has confirmed that he will play in the London Stadium in July for the first time in eight years.

The Swede, who won two gold medals at the Olympics in pole vault, has won numerous titles both internationally and internationally.

Duplantis, 26, has broken the pole vault world record 14 times since 2020, most recently posting a 6.30m best at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships.

At the age of 17, he finished ninth at the World Athletics Championships in his first appearance at the London Stadium.

He came in third at the anniversary games a year later, trailing only France’s Renaud Lavillenie and Sam Kendricks from the USA.

It means a lot to me to return to the Olympic Stadium, where I won my first World Championships in 2017 and even though I was still fairly unexperienced, I could appreciate the incredible atmosphere.

Something about that place just makes it unique. I’m excited to get out there and use the noise from the crowd to my advantage because I’m always amazed at athletes who raise their game in the London Diamond League. Since I’ve never won in London, it’s obvious that’s the main goal.

Duplantis will attempt to break the French Lavillenie of France meeting record of 6.03m, which has been in place since 2015.