TOKYO - Qatar’s Seif Mohamed created a new Qatar, GCC, Arab and West Asian record as he jumped 5.75m to qualify for the pole vault final of the World Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday.

Mohamed made the opening mark of 5.40m in his first attempt before going on to better 5.55m and 5.70m in the second attempt of each mark. He cleared the bar at 5.75m in his third attempt to secure his place among the world’s best.

In the final, Seif will be joined world record-holder Mondo Duplantis and his fellow global medallists Emmanouil Karalis, Kurtis Marschall and Sam Kendricks who were among the athletes to safely progress from men’s pole vault qualification.

Duplantis, who heads into the final with a two-year unbeaten streak of 35 competitions, and having set three world records this year, came through qualifying in routine fashion needing just two jumps to make Monday’s final, clearing 5.55m and 5.75m by huge margins.

The automatic qualification height was 5.80m, but only 12 men went over at 5.75m meaning no further height was required.

Former world record holder and London 2012 Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie needed a third-time clearance at 5.70m to stay alive. The Frenchman, who turns 39 on Thursday, was then successful at 5.75m on the second attempt to go into the final.

Among the big-name casualties were the Philippines’ EJ Obiena who had two failures at 5.70m before choosing to go up to 5.75m. But the world silver medallist from Budapest 2023 went out.

Also departing were Belgian Ben Broeders, the partner of star hurdler Femke Bol, and Poland’s three-time World Championship medallist Piotr Lisek. Both men had three failures at 5.75m.

No such problems for two-time world champion Sam Kendricks, Greek star Emmanouil Karalis, and Norway’s Sondre Mogens Guttormsen who all progressed without a failure.
The men’s pole vault final takes place on Monday at 10:49 GMT. Meanwhile on Sunday, Qatar’s Ammar Ismail will be in action in the men’s 400m heats.