SA’s decline in pole vault: Duplantis questions local coaching and culture

Swedish pole-vault superstar Armand Duplantis is aware that once upon a time South Africa was strong in the discipline he has mastered since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was born in 1999, nearly at the end of South Africa’s golden era when three competitors were seen in action at the world’s top events.

Okkert Brits, who soared to 6.03m in Germany in 1995, making him the second-highest man of all time back then, won his world championship silver at Paris 2003.

Regular teammate Riaan Botha achieved a best of 5.91m in 1997.

And even on the women’s side, Elmarie Gerryts reached her 4.42m national record in mid-2000, a mark that has remained unchallenged since then.

Brits and Botha competed together at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, while Brits and Gerryts were at Sydney 2000.

Brits also went to Athens 2004, but since then, no South African pole-vaulter has been to a Games.

The 25-year-old Duplantis, who has pushed the world record up from 6.16m to 6.27m, admitted in an interview that he had little knowledge of South African athletics, but was confident the problem lay in lack of coaching structures.

“There has been like historically some really good South African jumpers, but I've never been [there],” Duplantis said in a video interview with several journalists organised by World Athletics, during which he also expressed his desire to jump in Africa.

“I don't really know exactly how the culture is as far as pole vaulting [in South Africa is concerned] ...

“For the most part, I think it's usually like a coaching thing.

“If you have great coaches, that attracts the athletes and good coaches that can recruit good athletes to do it and coach in the right way to get them to fall in love with the sport is very important.” 

Over the years South African track and field has been more consistent producing sprinters, 800m runners, long-jumpers and javelin-throwers.

“If I had to guess, it’s usually a coaching thing. I mean, when you look at a country like France or Poland, they have a culture of always having some quite good pole-vaulters and always pole-vaulters that seem to be at the top and that's not really like a coincidence.

“It's because they have some great coaches.”

Duplantis said his own growth in the sport had come from working particularly hard on sprinting, but also on speed, strength and technique. “All of those tiny little things that add up to good results.”

I’ve never jumped anywhere in Africa, I would love to jump anywhere there, really. It’s cool that we have more competitions in Asia, I think that’s super fun.

—  Armand Duplantis

The vaulter, also a keen musician, is a fan of golf, describing it as a sport that gives him inspiration for his own event. 

“I love watching golf, I like following golf and the people who are top in that, whether it’s Annika Sörenstam, the best women’s golfer to ever live, her, Tiger Woods, those guys,” said Duplantis, who plays golf himself.

“Golf is so completely difficult and technical and so mental, not as physical, really, which I think makes it even more challenging ... that’s a sport I definitely look up to.”

Duplantis said he’d been keen to jump anywhere he hasn’t competed before.

“I’ve never jumped anywhere in Africa, I would love to jump anywhere there, really. It’s cool that we have more competitions in Asia, I think that’s super fun.

“I’ve never been down under to New Zealand or Australia, that’ll be super cool. South America, that would also be cool. Any places that I really haven’t hung out that much would be sick.”