Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, the Olympic champion in Paris, revealed that his "biggest dream" as a child was to break the world record at an Olympic event, and he achieved that in front of 80,000 spectators at the Stade de France, "channeling the energy" they provided.

At the packed Stade de France, Duplantis continued to build his legend with another pole vaulting victory, his second Olympic gold, and a world record (6.25 meters) after a competition where he had no rival.

"I still can't fully grasp how fantastic that moment was. It's one of those things that doesn’t seem real, an out-of-body experience. I’m still struggling to take it all in. My biggest dream since I was a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I’ve done it," Duplantis said at a press conference.

With all other events completed at the stadium, Duplantis was the center of attention for a few minutes as he attempted to break his own world record.

"I tried to clear my thoughts as best as I could. The crowd was going wild. It was so loud it felt like an American football game. I’ve had experience in stadiums with capacities of a hundred thousand, but I’ve never been the center of attention. I just tried to channel the energy everyone was giving me, and it worked," said the Swede, who doesn’t rule out aiming for another record in the future.

"I think I can do it again, but right now, I don’t care. I’m very happy and going to enjoy this moment. I have my family, my girlfriend, and some of my best friends here. I’m going to make the most of it. I’m not worried about anything else but the present moment," he confessed.

"I don’t know how to manage this. In pole vaulting, I’ve always had a lot of confidence in my abilities," he concluded.