World Athletics president Sebastian Coe quipped on Sunday that another record-breaking vault from Armand “Mondo” Duplantis might force the governing body to cancel its staff Christmas party.
Duplantis soared to a staggering 6.30m to defend his world pole vault title in Tokyo on Monday, collecting $70,000 for gold and an additional $100,000 for setting yet another world record.
The Swede had already secured victory with a clearance of 6.15m before pushing the bar up by 15 centimetres. On his third attempt, he made history once more — his 14th world record overall and fourth of 2025 alone in a discipline he has dominated like no other.
“Christmas party at risk”
Reflecting on the meet, which he hailed as “nine days of just outstanding athletics” and a “championships
of the ages,” Coe shared a tongue-in-cheek warning for Duplantis.
“My memory is not just the Mondo world record,” Coe said. “I have actually told him that one more world record, World Athletics loses its Christmas party. Two more world records, and we lose the summer party!
“There are 105 people hoping that we don’t have too many more world records at this juncture.”
Turning more serious, the two-time Olympic 1,500m champion praised Duplantis’ consistency: “Of course, the ultimate we hope he can deliver, as he always does.”
Coe noted the atmosphere inside Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, where 57,000 spectators stayed long after the track programme ended to witness Duplantis’ record vault.
“Not one of them left at the end of that track session. I wanted to stay on,” he said. “And then we also did find ourselves politely suggesting that some of them might want to leave half an hour after the world record and sort of go home. That’s a high-class problem to have, believe me.”
Survivors’ club
Beyond Duplantis’ heroics, Coe highlighted another memorable moment from the championships — the men’s 800m final. Watching alongside Kenya’s David Rudisha, the world record holder since 2012, Coe said the pair jokingly dubbed themselves members of a “survivors’ club.”
Rudisha’s legendary 1:40.91 from the London Olympics still stands, though new champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and others are closing in.
“It was actually quite amusing because I sat watching it with David Rudisha,” said Coe. “We both hugged each other at the end of it, saying we’re survivors. His world record survived, my British record survived.”
Coe’s national best of 1:41.73 remains joint eighth all-time after Briton Max Burgin finished sixth in 1:42.29.
(with AFP inputs)
