Eugene, Oregon: As a metaphor for a sport with lofty ambitions, Armand Duplantis did a perfectly scripted final act while marching toward a pole vault world record worthy of a thrilling World Athletics Championships.
The Swedish star took the wraps off a 10-day track and field extravaganza in Eugene on Sunday, jumping 6.21 meters while sailing on the bar to electrify Hayward Field.
Duplantis – regularly referred to as a “rock star” by world athletics chief Sebastian Coe – is part of a golden generation of athletes who illuminated the 10-day championships in Oregon.
Several other athletes also made headlines during the championship, with 400m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin delivering a dazzling world record run and charismatic Noah Lyles winning the 200m gold medal.
Such compelling performances delighted both Coe and United States Track and Field (USATF), who are desperate to boost the sport’s profile in the country after years, where it has fallen out of the limelight.
In pursuit of that goal, more major track and field events are sure to take place in the US.
In 2023, Eugene will host the conclusion of the Diamond League season – the first time in history the meeting has been held outside Europe.
Others have also wondered whether the city of Los Angeles could be a contender to host the World Championships in 2027, a year before the 2028 Olympics.
When asked about the possibility on Sunday, USATF chief executive Max Siegel did not rule it out.
When asked about 2027, Siegel told reporters, “As far as hosting other events is concerned, we would love to continue hosting events.”
“The more we can give support and visibility to the sport, that is great for all of us. Timetable is something we have to work on.
“But we look forward to working with World Athletics and hosting more events here.”
Meanwhile, Coe said the championships have attracted an additional 400,000 new followers, with seven million engagements on the World Athletics social media platform. The video posted by World Athletics has garnered 41 million views.
Siegel says US officials will continue to work with World Athletics to determine how best to take advantage of those numbers.
“Unsurprisingly I have more people who aren’t traditional track fans,” Siegel said. “There is a huge awareness because of the World Championships.
“We are working in partnership with World Athletics to both quantitatively and qualitatively date where the sport sits, with a range of strategies to restore the sport and the brand and tell the stories of athletes. We have LA 2028 So far there is a very strong plan.
“We are going to capitalize on this event and use it as a catalyst to restore the sport.”
Athletics will also benefit from a program over the next six years that will mean the sport is more or less permanently in the global spotlight.
The result of the Tokyo Olympics being postponed by a year – and the decision to reschedule the Eugene Championships to 2022 – means the sport will now have a global championship in seven of the eight years between 2021 and 2028.
Next year’s World Championships in Budapest will be followed by the 2024 Paris Olympics, before Tokyo hosts the World Championships in 2025. A lone fallow year in 2026 comes after the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics.
“If you look at the next six or seven years, we have athletics absolutely center stage in the Northern Hemisphere context in the most broadcast part of the year,” Coe said. “I’m really happy that we’ve had the opportunity to showcase athletics, but I don’t underestimate the challenges that some athletes are going to face.”
While McLaughlin, Liles, and 800m star Athing Mu were at the head of a successful American team, Eugene’s global spread of talent was also notable.
The evergreen Shelley-Ann Fraser-Price took the fifth world 100m crown, while compatriot Sherika Jackson won the 200m in 21.45s, the second-fastest time in history.
On Sunday, Nigeria’s Toby Amusan set the championship’s most surprising world record, clocking 12.12 seconds before winning gold in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Those performances encouraged Coe to believe that the sport had an array of stars to market itself to in the post-Usain Bolt era.
“We recognize the unique nature of what Usain Bolt has brought to our game,” Coe said on Sunday.
“But I’m probably more optimistic about the bandwidth of talent that’s coming … we have a whole bunch of young athletes that are there or around.”