Sam Kendricks Wins Silver in Thrilling Pole Vault at the Paris Olympics

In a gripping night at the Stade de France, American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks took home a silver medal after clearing an impressive height of 5.95 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Kendricks, who is known for his dedication to the sport, had a bit of a tough time during his attempts to reach 6.0 meters. His sharp spikes accidentally punctured his hand, but instead of panicking, he opted to wipe the blood on his arm and keep competing. “I tried not to get any blood on Old Glory for no good purposes,” he joked.

Despite the challenges, Kendricks was thrilled to add another Olympic medal to his collection, having previously won bronze in Rio back in 2016. He went through a tough time leading up to these Games after he was forced to miss the Tokyo Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 test, a situation he is still trying to move past.

Even though Kendricks faced disappointment in Tokyo, he put that behind him and was determined to show up in Paris. He reflected on his journey, reasoning that instead of running away from setbacks, it’s important to confront them head-on. “You gotta come back, you gotta face that lion,” he said.

During the pole vault event, all eyes were on Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis, also known as “Mondo.” After Kendricks secured the silver, Duplantis set a new Olympic record by clearing 6.10 meters, which had the crowd of over 77,000 erupting with excitement.

Kendricks didn’t hold back in celebrating Duplantis’ achievement and expressed the camaraderie in pole vaulting. “Pole vault breeds brotherhood,” he explained, emphasizing the friendships formed through competition.

As the night wore on, Kendricks had some fun banter with his fellow competitors, demonstrating that while they are fierce competitors, they also share a lot of laughs. He noted that the atmosphere was a bit different during the Olympics, with the tension being palpable among the athletes.

Despite his own incredible performance, Kendricks acknowledged the skills of his rival Duplantis, humbly saying, “Mondo earned his time,” while reminding everyone of his own accomplishments with two world titles from the World Championships in 2017 and 2019.