Mondo Duplantis cleared 18 feet, 0.5 inches (5.50m) to break the National High School Record on Saturday afternoon at the LSU High School Last Chance Qualifier in Baton Rouge.
The sophomore from Lafayette High School in Louisiana is the first prep to clear the 18-foot barrier indoors.
Don't expect the mark to last too long -- it's one of the most permeable national records in recent years. Fellow Louisianan Devin King broke the national indoor standard in 2014, then Paulo Benavides and Deakin Volz exchanged it several times last winter before Volz, now a freshman at Virginia Tech, settled at 17-11.25.
Until today, Duplantis was tied for No. 9 All-Time and owned both the National Freshman Class and Sophomore Class Records.
Below is a listing of the Top 10 performers in indoor pole vault history, before Mondo's 18-0.5 clearance.
| RANK | MARK | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17-11.25 | 2015 | ||
| 2 | 17-11 | 2015 | ||
| 3 | 17-10.25 | 2014 | ||
| 4 | 17-9.25 | 2011 | AVC Open1st | |
| 5 | 17-7 | 2012 | ||
| 6 | 17-6.75 | 2012 | ||
| 7 | 17-6.5 | 2012 | ||
| 7 | 17-6.5 | 1986 | ||
| 9 | 17-6 | 2015 | ||
| 9 | 17-6 | 1985 | ||
| 9 | 17-6 | 2018 |
Duplantis, the 2015 IAAF World Youth Champion (as pictured above), now holds the Age 16 World Record in the event. The Swedish citizen also holds the age group world records for 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-,11-, and 12- year olds.
