Duplantis 'shakes off rust' with season-opening win in Berlin

BERLIN: Pole vault king Armand Duplantis kick-started his 2025 season by clearing 6.10 metres in Berlin on Friday, describing his winning effort as a way “to shake off the rust”.

Duplantis set a new world mark of 6.25m when he defended his Paris Olympic gold medal in 2024, which he later extended by one centimetre in Poland in August.

On Friday, the American-born Swede jumped 5.55, 5.85, 5.94 and 6.02 metres, before leaving his competitors behind as he set his sights on breaking the meet record of 6.06m. He followed up a jump of 6.10 metres before setting the bar at a new world record height of 6.27 metres, but was unable to clear the height in two attempts.