Armand Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen thrilled spectators as they set world records at the Silesia Diamond League meeting on Sunday. Duplantis celebrated in his usual exuberant style as he set a new mark of 6.26 metres in the pole vault, less than three weeks after he last broke it when defending his Olympic title in Paris. The 24-year-old Swede was congratulated by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who came onto the track and shook his hand. 

“Everything just came together to allow me to do this,” said Duplantis, whose first world record also came in Poland in February, 2020.

“I know a lot of people came here to see me jump, so I wanted to put in a good showing for them.

“This year I focused on the Olympics, the record just came naturally because I was in good shape.

“So I am not surprised with the record today, but I am thankful.”

Mondo Duplantis breaks his World Record again, going 6.26m.

Passing the 6.25m mark he set to win Olympic gold at Paris 2024.

I’d rank him as one of the greatest athletes of the current era – maybe ever, in any sport.

An electric athlete.

pic.twitter.com/lwgDLtrZ5y

– Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) August 25, 2024

In the 3,000 metres, Ingebrigtsen, who lost his 1500m Olympic crown but won the 5,000m title, held his hands to his face in astonishment, then on top of his, head mouth agape, after posting a time of 7min 17.55sec.

The 23-year-old Norwegian smashed Kenyan Daniel Komen’s 28-year-old mark by more than three seconds. 

“It feels special, amazing,” said Ingebrigtsen.

“I was hoping to challenge the world record here, but based on my training, I can never predict exactly what kind of time I am capable of.

“I would not have imagined I could run 7:17, though.”

Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi had entertained hopes of breaking compatriot David Rudisha’s 800m world record of 1:40.91 set as he won Olympic gold in London in 2012.

However, Wanyonyi’s thunder was stolen by his great rival over the distance Canada’s world champion Marco Arop, who looked on course to set the record himself until tying up in the final few metres.

Arop, who took silver behind Wanyonyi in Paris earlier this month, finished in 1:41.86. 

Expectations had been high for Wanyonyi after he went within 0.20sec of Rudisha’s mark in Lausanne last Thursday.

Nevertheless he sounded less than enamoured at the hype that had surrounded him potentially breaking the record.

“My body did not respond well but I have done my best,” he said.

“I do not like when people say that I am going to break the world record.

“I do not want to say anything about the record.” 

‘Fire in me’

Another Olympic champion from Africa, Letsile Tebogo, made no mistake in the 200m. The 21-year-old Botswanan swept imperiously past American Kenny Bednarek, who had led into the straight, to win.

Tebogo, who was awarded two houses and a diamond on his return home following the Olympics, timed a meet record of 19.83sec.

Femke Bol and Karsten Warholm both set meet records in the women’s and men’s 400m hurdles, showing they had shrugged off the disappointment of failing to win the Olympic titles in Paris.

Dutch star Bol had cried after she failed to mount a challenge to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Paris, finishing third, but with the American absent won her second Diamond League race inside a week, timing 52.13sec.

Warholm has had to get over his Olympic disappointment in being dethroned as champion by Rai Benjamin, the Norwegian doing it in the best way possible in a time of 46.95sec.

“I wanted to do this race well before the Diamond League final (Brussels September 13/14) so it feels nice to come out and to see the momentum going after the Olympics,” said Warholm.

“It has been tough getting up after such a big competition, but today felt good.”

The charismatic 28-year-old said he hoped he would never again run as flat as he did in the Olympic final where he still took silver.

“I did not have it in me in the most important day of the year,” he said.

“We need to go back to work and to make sure it does not happen again.

“As long as I have the fire in me, which is still burning right now, I will keep on going.”  

Armand Duplantis and Letsile Tebogo headline a raft of Olympic champions who will descend on Lausanne for the first Diamond League meeting since the end of the Paris Games. Some 18 current Olympic or world champions will be present in the Swiss city for Thursday’s meet, coming just 12 days after the last of the track and field action at the Stade de France. Duplantis defended his gold in France’s national stadium and improved his own world record to 6.25 metres.

In Lausanne, the Swede will take part in a City Event held on an esplanade bordering Lac Leman — better known in English as Lake Geneva — on Wednesday, 24 hours before the main fare at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise.

Duplantis will be up against American Sam Kendricks, the silver medallist in Paris, and also Renaud Lavillenie, the 2012 Olympic champion and former world record holder who failed to qualify for what would have been his home Games.

“It’s the only pole vault event next to a lake,” Duplantis said.

“I love to have it scenic, fun, more like a show. It suits us well. I jumped 6.10m in Lausanne last time and have felt well rested since Paris.

“I think there are still some good jumps in my legs,” said the US-born Swede, who left Paris the day after the event for a “much-needed vacation with my girlfriend to chill as much as I could”.

Tebogo v Kerley

Botswana’s Tebogo will race the 200m on Thursday, the event he won in Paris when he outstripped a Covid-hit Noah Lyles.

The American, a three-time world champion in the distance and the 100m winner in the French capital, has called time on his season.

Tebogo will be up against Fred Kerley, the triple world champion (100m and relay) and 100m bronze medallist in Paris, and his US teammate Erriyon Knighton.

The 21-year-old Botswanan raced to victory in an African record of 19.46sec, a time that took him to fifth on the all-time list.

He also became the first African to win the Olympic 200m metres. The men’s 800m race in this 11th stage of the Diamond League circuit also promises to be a thriller.

Four men in the Olympic final dipped under the 1min 42sec mark for the first time ever.

And four of the top five finishers from the Games will run in Lausanne: Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, the third fastest man in history, Olympic silver medallist and world champion Marco Arop of Canada, and the fourth and fifth-placed finishers in Paris, American Bryce Hoppel and Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen will bid to put the disappointment of his 1500m outing at the Paris Games behind him when takes on a strong field in Switzerland.

American Cole Hocker progressed to an upset victory in Paris, outsprinting world champion Josh Kerr of Britain, American Yared Nuguse and Ingebrigtsen.

The Norwegian finished fourth, left ruing an insanely fast opening 400m that left him vulnerable to a late attack.

Ingebrigtsen did, however, rebound to win the Olympic 5,000m title and now has an immediate chance of redemption over the shorter distance, with Hocker also listed.

There is also a high-quality field assembled in the women’s high jump, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh up against Australia’s Paris silver and bronze medallists Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson.

Mahuchikh set a new world record of 2.10m at the Paris Diamond League meet and while not reaching those same heights at the Olympics, seems in unbeatable form.

Femke Bol is another athlete on show, competing in the 400m hurdles, in which she won bronze in Paris behind record-setting Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Anna Cockrell.