HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY -- Pole vault world-record holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis believes he can push the pole-vault world record to 6.40 metres in the next few years, the athlete said in a conversation with PUMA CEO Arne Freundt, which was released as a part of the sports company’s annual report.

When it comes to pole vaulting, Mondo is in a league of his own, having won two Olympic gold medals, two world championships, breaking the world record 11 times and being crowned World Athlete of the Year twice. Even though he just set the world record to 6.27 metres earlier this year, the Swedish athlete has his sights on raising the bar to 6.40 metres in the future.

“I think that 6.30 metres is probably the target in the near future, and 6.40 metres is achievable in the next few years,” Mondo said.

He said improvements in the technology of his spikes were an important part of making him jump ever higher and with the help of the innovation team at PUMA, he took inspiration from sprinting spikes to create the ultimate pole-vaulting shoe.

“We know that there is a direct correlation of the energy and the speed that you have on the runway and how high you can jump,” Mondo said. “It was such a perfect match with PUMA from the beginning, because we knew how good of a concept and grasp you had on speed. We wanted to make some kind of mix between a sprint spike and a pole-vaulting spike. They are very much lighter and more aggressive with the toe spring than what you used to see years ago in a pole-vaulting spike. I think that’s what helps me and allows me to get up to the speeds that I want to create to be able to jump stuff like a world record.”

Introducing innovations in its performance product range is an important part of PUMA’s brand elevation strategy to create the basis for long-term, sustainable growth.

“As a sports brand, it’s super important that we show up with the best athletes and prove that our products perform at the highest levels and enable a better performance,” said PUMA CEO Arne Freundt. “I think that is for sure an important marketing piece, but the learnings we take from an innovation angle are even more important. That we really understand what makes you faster before the jump, what makes you jump higher and that we take these learnings and turn them into a product innovation.”