USTFCCCA News & Notes
By Tyler Mayforth, USTFCCCA May 11, 2019   

Mondo Duplantis Breaks Collegiate Outdoor Pole Vault Record

Mondo Duplantis.

The SEC Championships.

Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Name a better trio. We’ll wait.

A little more than two months after breaking the collegiate indoor record at the SEC Indoor Championships, Mondo did the same to the collegiate outdoor record at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Lo and behold, both meets were hosted by the University of Arkansas.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Records & Lists

“I had a little déjà vu since I did the same thing indoors here in Fayetteville,” Duplantis told the SEC Network after he cleared 6.00m (19-8¼) on Saturday night. “I’m glad to have that off my shoulders. Now I can just relax and concentrate on NCAAs.”

Mondo, whose brother Antoine was in attendance after hitting a game-winning home run for LSU against the Razorback baseball team earlier in the day, took clear aim at records held by former Tennessee great and 2000 Olympic silver medalist Lawrence Johnson.

After clearing 5.45m (17-10½) and 5.63m (18-5½) with ease, Mondo asked the bar to be raised to 5.81m (19-0¾), which was one centimeter – or a half inch – higher than the meet record that Johnson set as a sophomore back in 1994. Mondo felled that with one swing of his pole.

Then Mondo skipped to 6.00m (19-8¼) to leave no doubt as to his claim to the title of "Best Male Vaulter in Collegiate History." Mondo missed on his first two attempts, but then – with ice in his veins – the freshman phenom went up and over on his third try.

It looks just as good from another angle.

Just like that, Mondo broke a collegiate record that had stood since 1996.

More importantly – at least to the LSU program and its fans – Mondo gave the Tigers the lead in the team standings. LSU did not relinquish that lead as it won its first conference title in outdoor track & field since 1990.