22-year-old Duplantis, the World Championships silver medallist, has dominated the pole vault in recent years. In 2020 he set world records of 6.17m and 6.18m during the indoor season, then went on to clear 6.15m in Rome, the highest outdoor vault in history. In 2021 he achieved 14 six-metre clearances and attempted a world record height of 6.19m at 12 of his competitions.
Duplantis remains motivated by his ambition to be the greatest pole vaulter of all-time, and ahead of his European title defence and opportunity to win his first senior world title this summer, the prospect of competing in the Qatari capital is an exciting one.
“Doha is the perfect meet to kick off my outdoor campaign,” said the 2021 Wanda Diamond League champion. “My training has gone really well over the winter, and although it’s early season, I think the conditions in Doha will be conducive to jumping high. I cleared 5.82m at this event in 2020, so I’d certainly like to go closer to 6.00m this time around.”
Mohammed Al Fadhala, Qatar Athletics Federation president, said: “Successfully delivering high profile athletics meetings such as the Wanda Doha Diamond League is important to us as we continue to demonstrate our ability to host world class sporting events in Qatar.
“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved at this event in recent years, specifically the quality of athletes participating and the passion and commitment of our organising teams. Last year’s event – where athletes recorded six world leading performances and multiple meeting and national records – was particularly special, and I’m confident we can match or exceed that in 2022.”
The 2022 Wanda Diamond League comprises 14 meetings in total, starting with Doha at the Qatar Sports Club on 13 May and concluding with a single final across two days in Zurich (7-8 September). Each meeting will be broadcast globally in a live two-hour programme.
The 2022 calendar remains subject to change depending on the global health situation in the coming months.
