The 22-year-old Olympic champion and world record holder required just two first-time clearances to secure victory over a world class field before moving on to a meeting record 6.02 metres, which he cleared without blemish, and then 6.12m, which on this occasion proved beyond him.

The only faint cloud on his horizon was the fact that, as the competition was indoors, his winning mark will not take its place at the top of this season's outdoor world rankings.

Duplantis can probably live with that.

Relaxed to the point of light-heartedness during the previous night’s discussions with officials in the Qatar Sports Club Stadium during brutal cross-winds that clearly made vaulting too tricky for safety, he approached the competition with the confidence and economy that having vaulted four centimetres higher than any other mortal brings.

By the time he had dipped in and out with first time clearances at 5.61m and 5.81m the task of winning the competition was achieved.

Only four men remained in the running at the latter height, including the American who took silver behind him in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Chris Nilsen.

But none could clear it, leaving the man who twice improved upon his own world record earlier this year with vaults of 6.19m and 6.20m in Belgrade free to pick his next challenge.

His predecessor as world record holder, 35-year-old Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie, had bowed out after clearing 5.61m at his first attempt but failing at 5.71m.

Countback deemed that Nilsen’s compatriot KC Lightfoot took second place ahead of Belgium’s Ben Broeders, with Nilsen fourth and Lavillenie’s younger brother Valentin fifth.

The second Diamond League meeting of the season is scheduled to take place on Saturday (May 21) at the newly redeveloped Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, which is set to host athletics and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at this summer's Commonwealth Games, due to take place between July 28 and August 8.