Lavillenie, Barber, Duplantis all make 19-5 in pole vault

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Armand Duplantis broke his own high school national record and was in the men's pole vault competition at the 91st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays right to the very end -- as he and world champions took third attempts at 19 feet, 9 inches (6.02m). 

Duplantis, of Lafayette LA, has gone toe to toe with the best in the world before, but this was a new stratosphere even for him.

Duplantis competed to win Saturday, making strategic passes at 19-1 and 19-7 in order to give himself a chance to defeat Shawn Barber and Renaud Lavillenie. 

All three failed to make 19-9 and Lavillenie was spotless through 19-5, so the 2012 Olympic champion was the winner. Barber, the 2015 world champion, also made 19-5 on his first try but had a miss at 19-1. 

Duplantis vaulted two centimeters higher than he did last year at Texas Relays, when he smashed the high school record and World U-20 record. 

It was the first time in 19 years that three vaulters have cleared 19-5 in the same competition. 

Only 28 men in history have now gone higher than Duplantis, who is 18. 

Barber's 5.92m was just a centimeter shy of his personal record, which he achieved in 2015 in London.