Budapest: This time there were no hugs. There were no tears, no “hey brother, do you wanna share this?” questions.
There was never a question of a jump-off. Australia’s Kurtis Marschall shared a bronze medal in the pole vault two nights after Nina Kennedy won gold for Australia after tying for first place in the same event.
Australia’s Kurtis Marschall competing in the pole vault final at the world athletics championships in Budapest, where he won a bronze medal.Credit: Getty/AP
Where Kennedy tied for first place with American Katie Moon and the jumpers were given the option of splitting the medal or having a jump-off for gold, for Marschall and American Chris Nilsen had both cleared 5.95 metres and were in equal third position, so they were given no choice.
“Chris and I were like if we have to jump off for this we were absolutely buggered, and we wanted to do exactly what Nina and Katie did the other night; copy them,” Marschall said.
But the jump-off is only offered to decide a gold medal, and the idea that a tiebreaker would be needed in an event that involves Armand Duplantis is as ridiculous as three-quarter pants on middle-aged men.
No one else wins pole vault gold at major championships when Duplantis is there.
Gold medallist Armand Duplantis clears the pole vault bar in Budapest.Credit: AP/Getty
Duplantis is the new Usain Bolt; the Bolt of field events. There are two competitions at play when he competes: the competition he has with himself to see how high he can go, and a cute, lesser comp the rest of the world has among themselves to be his bridesmaid. He is 23.
Duplantis did as Duplantis does and won gold. Then he tried to beat the world record. His world record. He cleared 6m – the pole vaulter’s equivalent of running a sub-10-second 100m – for the 67th time.
Kurtis Marschall clears the bar in Budapest.Credit: Getty
Actually, let’s not call him Armand Duplantis; his name is Mondo Duplantis, or just Mondo. It’s like giving Anna, Freida, Benny or Bjorn a surname. Unlike an Allen key, it’s redundant in Sweden.
So, all patriotism aside, the story about the men’s pole vault final at these world championships can’t start by focusing on the third and fourth-best pole vaulters in the field. The greatest pole vaulter of all time was on display, so let’s talk about him first.
Mondo won the gold medal when he jumped 6.10m, without missing a height, and then raised the bar to 6.23m – beyond his own 6.22m world record.
“One hundred per cent I wasn’t even trying to compete against the guy,” Marschall said.
“I know the guy is always going to come out and perform – it was an abnormality in Monaco a couple of weeks ago where I managed to sneak one ahead of him (when Marschall beat him in the Diamond League meet), but I don’t expect to ever beat that guy for the rest of my career. And if I do, I am super lucky, but I know that he is like a generational talent.
“To just be up in the medals with that guy who is pushing the sport forward, just to be a part of it is awesome.”
Marschall’s performance is framed by Mondo, and that does not diminish what he achieved.
In fact, it enhances it. It provides the perspective that, on the night the world’s best-ever pole vaulter won gold then had three shots at breaking his own world record, Marschall was on the podium. That is quality.
By jumping 5.95m to tie for bronze with Nilsen, Marschall equalled his personal-best jump.
His self-effacement at where he stands next Mondo should not distract from his achievement.
The men’s pole vault podium at the world championships in Budapest was filled by silver medalist Ernest John Obiena, of the Philippines, US bronze medallist Christopher Nilsen, winner Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, and Australian Kurtis Marschall, who shared the bronze with Nilson.Credit: Getty
He was hoping – and still is – to clear 6m. Only three Australians have done that so far; Olympic and world champion Steve Hooker, Dmitri Markov (father of Collingwood’s Oleg) and Marschall’s coach Paul Burgess.
“It was a ballsy move to go to 5.95m after a miss, but I just knew I could clear it because I cleared it earlier this season and [5.]95 is normally the bar that gets you in the medals.
“I managed to clear it first attempt to my complete elation,” Marschall said.
“After that miss at the first height, I had flashbacks to Tokyo [and] no-heighting (not recording a successful jump) in the final, and flashbacks to Eugene (the world championships) last year when I only cleared my first height.
“And, I thought ‘this ain’t happening again, I have got every opportunity here to make it my own’.
“I couldn’t be more stoked.
“(Winning bronze) is just a little bit of confirmation that I can do this, I can be part of the medals … confirmation that if you can do that on the global stage, you are going to be part of the medals.
“This is where I want to be, this is what I want to do and this is a little bit of confidence going into next year.”
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