The American-born Swede didn’t disappoint the Japanese crowd for what they came for at the Tokyo National Stadium.Armand Duplantis breaks the pole vault world record for the 14th time at

Louisiana-born Armand “Mondo” Duplantis needed motivation to learn — in his case — Swedish. The globe saw his inspiration at Japan’s National Stadium when he clambered into the stands after setting a world record in the pole vault,

Duplantis, who was winning division one high-school meets in his mid-teens, was on the radar of Swedish national team staff in 2015 ahead of that year’s World Youth Championships (a biannual global competition for under-18s, which finished in 2017).

At stake in Tokyo is not just a medal but also his bid to reach the soar above six metres, a feat comparable to a sprinter breaking 10 seconds and one his coach Paul Burgess and boyhood inspiration Steve Hooker have managed.

Pole vaulting legend Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis and 400m hurdles master Karsten Warholm will be on show on the third day of competition of the world championships on Monday.