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When Usain Bolt decided to call it a day, athletics lost its biggest global drawcard.

Sure, there are other superstars, but Bolt was the kind of athlete that filled stadiums around the world, and made TV viewers tune in, even if only for just shy of 10 seconds.

That’s some pair of boots to fill, which is why it’s quite a comparison to liken 20-year-old pole vaulter Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis to the speedy Jamaican.

Born in the US, but representing Sweden, Mondo has had an outrageous two weeks. This from CNN:

Last weekend in Poland, the US-born Swede cleared 6.17 meters [sic] in the pole vault to set a new world record. Then on Saturday, he broke his own mark with a 6.18 meter vault on his first attempt.

The second feat earned Duplantis, who has chosen to represent his mother’s native Sweden, a $30,000 bonus.

Here’s the second of those world records:

It’s tough to comprehend just how high 6,18 metres really is, but it’s just three centimetres shy of three RG Snymans stood on top of one another.

Frizzy hair and beard not included.

Here’s a second angle:

BREAKING: Mondo Duplantis jumps AGAIN a new World Record with 6.18m (20-3.50)!! 😱🌍🔥

🎥 (via. @howardbell98) pic.twitter.com/h7jWnjdw4U

— Jumpers World (@jumpersworld_) February 15, 2020

Given how staggering Mondo’s achievements have been, and at such a young age, the Bolt comparisons were almost inevitable.

This from the Olympics Channel:

The 20-year-old tried to curb the enthusiasm in Glasgow after his latest record-breaking jump saying “It’s unfair to think I’ll break it every time I compete,” but it was already too late.

The Usain Bolt succession conversation was already underway.

“I don’t blame them for wanting me to have a crazy career like Usain Bolt…I am going to try and carry the sport as much as I can and I know the best way to do that is to jump really high.”

He certainly has good genes on his side. His father, Greg Duplantis, was a successful pole vaulter, and his mother, Swede Helena Hedlund, was a heptathlete.

They form the backbone of his coaching team, which has seen him go from strength to strength over the years:

A former child phenomenon, he holds world records at every age level from under 7 to under 12, while by 18 he had cleared 6 meters. It is little wonder he is being tipped for great things.

“There are a lot of reasons why this event is so complicated and so many things go into making a good jump,” Duplantis said…

“So many years of hard work go into this, but when you do it right it seems simple.

“Safe to say I feel good, I feel fast and strong on the runway. I’m excited for the outdoor season, and the Olympics is where I want to be the best.”

It seems wild that the Rio Olympics were all of four years ago, and the Summer Olympics are due to kick off in Tokyo on July 24, where Duplantis can write his name into the history books once more.

Flying through the air, catapulted by a pole, may not carry the same allure as being known as the fastest human alive, but when a 20-year-old is smashing world records for fun then greatness beckons.

For 20 years, people believed that Sergey Bubka’s record of 6,14 metres was untouchable, until Renaud Lavillenie soared over 6,16 metres in 2014.

All of a sudden, people are talking about the chances of one day seeing a 6,30-metre clearance, and there’s only one man that looks likely to achieve that.

[sources:cnn&olympics]