Posted on: 26 11 2022.

In the Štark Arena, during the “BELGRADE INDOOR MEETING”, Armand Duplantis set a new world record

From March 18 to 20, 2022, the “Queen of Sports'” top athletes will battle for the title of global indoor champion. To announce this incredible scenario, athletic magic resonated throughout Štark Arena.

“Belgrade Indoor Meeting,” a competition from the global silver series, included 140 competitors from 34 different countries. They included the best athlete from Serbia, the current world indoor long jump champion, who showed off her talent and brilliance and demonstrated why she is the best. Armand Duplantis of Sweden, the Olympic champion and current world record holder in the pole vault, that broke Sergej Bubka’s mark, and Marcel Jacobs of Italy, the fastest man alive, competed as well.

In true athletic magic, there was no end to the fun as the incredible 22-year-old Duplantis broke the world record with a brand-new “heavenly flight.” The soaring Swede broke records once more and changed athletics history by setting both the world and his own records in the pole vault at 6.19. There were tears of joy and tears of sadness as many national records were shattered. The three-hour fantasy of the “queen of sports” was enjoyed by the Belgrade audience and served as an excellent precursor to the World Indoor Athletics Championships Belgrade22, which will take place in the Arena in 11 days.

“In Belgrade, I was quite fortunate. I’m constantly striving to push the boundaries, so I don’t think this is the highest I’ll jump here.  This is not the end as Belgrade is a great place to jump. I am excited to be back in Belgrade. After the first jump, I felt rather confident. I try to pay close attention to even the smallest details. Perfect execution is required for this type of jump, and everything must line up”, said Pole Vault World Record Holder Armand Duplantis.

The meeting was opened by Veselin Jevrosimović, president of the Serbian Athletics Federation, and Goran Vesić, deputy mayor of Belgrade.

Ivana Vuleta, the reigning indoor long jump world champion from Serbia, grabbed first place with a jump of 6.88 meters. Milica Gardašević, another Serbian competitor, took second place with a jump of 6.69 meters.

“We should all be grateful that the championship is being held here and that we have the chance to compete. I’m used to congratulating all the competitors; I have friends among them, and I’ve been rooting for her (Milica) for as long as she’s been revealed as my successor. He has had my support since the beginning, and there should always be someone who will inherit; not everything should be reduced to one or two competitors; there is also Angelina Topić, and many other children developing into champions. I missed it today so even though I cut my hair, but I need to figure out how to keep my hair from getting in the way when I jump. The results are actually rather good, and I am technically aware of what has to be fixed. On this track, where I will jump in the championship, I had to complete all six jumps. I love running on boards because I have a powerful jump and I like to utilize the surface. It also fits my running style. It’s very important to me; today was a fantastic test, and after the day is through, I’ll consider what I need to improve on. Although those of us who are aware of the difference may notice it, the track is generally excellent, fast, and ideal for jumps. I’m glad I saw the world record, but there will unarguably be more in the coming weeks. “When I think back on the last two years, everything has been fantastic; I’m glad that I’m healthy now”, Ivana Vuleta said. “I imagined that one jump would be close to seven meters long, and I would have had that jump but my hair was troubling me.”

Our sponsors, Comtrade, Sava osiguranje, and Voda voda, provided cash checks for the top five performers. Ivana Vuleta of our team came in fifth place, followed by Elliot Giles in fourth place in the 1500-meter race with a time of 3:37.49, Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece came in third place with a mark of 8.25 meters in the long jump, Nick Ponzio in second place with a mark of 21.61 meters in the shot put, and the first and most valuable result was achieved by Armand DUPLANTIS, who broke the world record in the pole vault — 6.19 m.

Serbian athlete Anja Lukić ran the norm for WC Belgrade22 by finishing the 60 m hurdles race in 8.14 seconds, making her the sixth member of our team with a new national record.

Boško Kijanović set yet another benchmark and national record in the 400 m event with a remarkable time of 46.22 seconds. Boško’s performance shattered a record that had stood for 30 years. The previous mark, 46.23 seconds, was set by Slobodan Branković, the director of the Athletics Federation of Serbia, back in 1992.

Elzan Bibić once more displayed his great level of form  and, for the second time this season, set a new state record in the 1500 m race with a time of 3:38.84. With a throw of 21.06 m, Asmir Kolašinac finished second in the competition. The world’s fastest man, Italian Marcel Jacobs, contested in the 60-meter sprint.

Unfortunately for him, he was disqualified from the race because of a violation he committed in his fervent attempt to break the record.

Angelina Topić, a young high jump junior champion from Serbia, excelled in the senior category at the “Belgrade Indoor Meeting”, finishing third with a mark of 1.87 m.

Both the Serbian Athletics Federation and the Belgrade Indoor Meeting were insured by Sava Insurance.