Men Pole Vault Athletics XXII Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 2020 - Saturday, 31st July and Tuesday, 3rd August 2021 - Gold Medal: Armand Duplantis, Sweden
World Record: Armand Duplantis (SWE) 6.18m Glasgow, United Kingdom 15 February 2020
Olympic Record: Thiago Braz da Silva (BRA) 6.03m Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 15 August 2016
All of the 2016 podium returned to Tokyo; Thiago Braz da Silva, Renaud Lavillenie, and Sam Kendricks. Kendricks tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Tokyo and was not allowed to compete. But the old guard of the sport had been supplanted by a new phenom, Armand Duplantis, a 21 year old who had 18 years of vaulting experience, setting age group world records since the age of 7. In 2019 he won silver at the World Championships. In 2020 he took Lavillenie's world record.
It took a clean round of 5.65 metres to get into the final, 11 of the 14 finalists cleared 5.75 in qualifying. Seven jumpers made 5.80 metres, with Lavillenie passing and failing at the next heights. At 5.87 metres, Duplantis passed, only Braz and Christopher Nilsen cleared. Duplantis cleared 5.92 metres on only his third jump of the competition. Nilsen cleared on his second attempt. Braz couldn't, leaving him for the bronze. Duplantis cleared 5.97 metres and Nilsen answered with a personal best. At 6.02 metres, Duplantis cleared again, still perfect. Nilsen took three attempts to join the 6 metres club but couldn't. Now as the winner, Duplantis could choose his next height to attempt. Instead of attempting to beat Braz' Olympic Record of 6.03 metres, he asked for 6.19m - 20ft 3+1⁄2in), a new world record. His first attempt saw his hips and body up around 6.50m, but he came back brushing the bar on his way down. He aborted his second attempt and the third was close.