The pole, the speed and even the shoes … Where is the limit of the human being?

Sunday,
16
February
2020

02:03

The prodigy Armand Duplantis again breaks the world record for the pole vault and experts already see it “beyond 6.25 meters”.

Armand Duplantis, this Saturday in Glasgow.
ANDY BUCHANAN AFP

One centimeter less to reach infinity. Armand Duplantis I broke this Saturday in Glasgow his own record of the world of pole vault: you surpass the list located at 6.18 meters and, at age 20, repeated an interesting question: Where to take the human being? Unlike in other disciplines, where there is hardly any margin, physicists believe that, with a pole, a man or a woman can exceed seven meters in height, and Duplantis is handled in that difference. With him, nothing is impossible.

Right now it is to jump 6.25 meters. In Glasgow, in fact, the list is superfluous. But it is not that easy. (Sergei) Bubka That is also worth it, he could jump more than 6.30, but by circumstances his world record remained at 6.15 meters. You have to have everything in favor on several occasions, analyze Alberto Ruiz 'Lobito', prtiga finalist in Los Angeles 1984 and Barcelona 1992, former Spanish record holder and current head of the specialty in the CAR of Sant Cugat.

According to his considerations, in the current state, Duplantis, of only 20 years, may still raise his record a little more next Sunday at Clermont Ferrand, but then he will have to return to work: Like any 20-year-old athlete, he has the capacity of improvement in everything. You can run faster, you can improve the whipping and, with that, you can use a harder pole and try a higher grip. The only thing I don't dare to talk about is his technique. He has broken everything that has been established, has questioned everything we know. From the time of Bubka, everyone follows a style and jumps very differently, in their own way.

Childhood and money

It has revolutionized everything and that is why it is very difficult to talk about its limits. 6.25 meters? Yes, it can. 6.30? Also. In addition to the revolution of Bubka's style, strength and robotization, of its lightness and flexibility, another dogma has changed. Like the Ingebrigtsen, Duplantis is the result of early specialization. Contrary to popular belief, he has been jumping with a pole since he was five years old and has not tired, he has not lost his way. For him jumping is something natural, he is an artist, he reflects Ramn Cid, Spanish coach from 2013 to 2018, which celebrates the appearance of a star capable of crossing the borders of athletics and values ​​another strong point of Duplantis: money, in principle, not being an obstacle.

A bonus is paid for every record in the world (Duplantis won 30,000 dollars in Glasgow yesterday), but it seems different from Bubka, it doesn't seem to be its main interest. He has fun jumping and maybe one day he decides to improve his record by two or three inches.

Technology can also help you. In the pole, in fact, it has been of great importance: the revolution that the bamboo meant in its day, then the metal poles and so on until it reached the fiberglass that is used now. Any progress could mean an improvement and in these times of innovation in shoes you have to take into account that the entry speed in the pole is key. I can help you, of course, it ends Jordan Santos, Doctor in Exercise Physiology from the University of the Basque Country, who, like the rest of the experts, like the rest of the fans, is already waiting for the next Duplantis performance. There is one centimeter less to reach infinity.

According to the criteria of

The Trust Project

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