Lafayette Native Mondo Duplantis Wins Silver At Pole Vaulting World Championships
World-renowned pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, a former LSU All-American and World U20 record-holder, competed at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar with a goal to win the gold.
The 19-year old Lafayette native had an impressive showing, but came up just short, finishing second to capture a silver medal.
The 2nd place finish is a jump for Duplantis, who finished 9th two years ago at the IAAF World Championships in London, England when he became the youngest finalist in competition history.
He went toe to toe with American record-holder and reigning world champion Sam Kendricks.
Duplantis and Kendricks were the only finalists who cleared 19 feet, 7 inches today.
In the next round, Kendricks had six misses, allowing him to pass Duplantis on his final attempt as Mondo couldn't clear 19-9 on his third attempt, finishing with 8 total misses.