Pole vault star Armand Duplantis24, has been in such good shape this indoor season that he took the seventh prestigious victory of his career, the indoor world championship, and twice tried to improve the world record in his name.
However, this did not satisfy Duplantis. He didn’t like his hall of fame as he should have been able to jump higher. Duplantis described his performances at the World Championships in Glasgow as downright lazy and said that the competition took all the juices out of him.
This Swedish-American ME man had to be surprisingly tight. Whereas he usually goes straight from the starting height to the winner with no drops, in Glasgow Duplantis needed all three attempts at 585 and 605 and two attempts at 595.
– I had my back against the wall a few times during the competition, Duplantis told Urheiluik at the athletes’ media conference held on Wednesday.
Even though Duplantis, who has dominated the pole vault in recent years, has made it to the games so to speak with ease, he was not fazed by the situation. When Duplantis recounted how he dealt with a difficult moment in Glasgow, he sounded like an elite athlete’s how-to-success manual: In those situations, you just do what you have to do, with a no-cost mentality. You just have to focus on the next performance and don’t care about anything else.
According to Duplantis, it is, after all, a rather simple way of thinking. Everything doesn’t always go as planned, and then you just have to go with the flow. According to Duplantis, how an athlete is able to adapt to difficult conditions tells what kind of athlete he really is.
And Armand Duplantis has been in a lot of trouble since he was little, in his own backyard.
– The competition against the brothers in the backyard was terribly tough. There was maybe even more pressure and tension than in these situations, so I’m very used to this kind of thing, Duplantis assured, returning to the guidebook statements again.
– I have a lot of self-confidence. No matter what the situation is, I always believe in myself, I always think positively and I always believe that I have a chance. It is the most important. You should never give up. As long as you believe in yourself, you will win something.
Although the hall season did not go as Duplantis would have liked, he does not want to complain, but rather to be grateful. At the World Championships, he was able to jump just well enough to defend his indoor championship.
– It’s such a cool thing, and you have to be proud of it!
On the other hand, the fact that Duplantis is not satisfied with his government is only a good thing in his opinion. It left him suitably hungry for the outdoor season. When European track and field athletes still have a real peak summer ahead of them with the European Championships and the Olympics, Duplantis is full of enthusiasm.
– I am very motivated and enthusiastic. I’m already looking forward to the outdoor season and I want to be much better.
The pressures of Paris are nothing compared to Tokyo
Last year, Duplantis jumped the outdoor world record 623 in Eugene and the halli-ME 622 in February in France. He’s been grating ME readings centimeter by cent since 617, and he’s not going to stop at 623.
Duplantis’ goal this season is to break the world record “a few times”, but nothing is as important to him as the Paris Olympics.
– The Olympics are the Olympics, nothing comes close to them. It is the most important competition.
Duplantis has the Tokyo Olympic gold to defend in Paris, and he is already considered the biggest early favorite for the Games. Duplantis admits he is struggling with the pressures in some ways, but in a very different way than he did in the summer of 2021.
– These pressures are nothing compared to the last Olympics. The fact that I already have Olympic gold is such an honor and I am grateful for it. Now I can jump maybe a little more freely.
Duplantis believes in managing both external and internal pressures. When the men’s pole vault Olympic gold is awarded on August 5, he wants to be at his best, in the best shape and to do his best.
– Then I perform to the largest possible audience and I want to show my skills to the world. I want to show the world something special. I definitely have pressure at that time, but in a good way, as motivation.
“Wilma knows what’s best for her”
Pole vaulting at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow is best remembered by Finns for the fact that Wilma Murto had to leave the race. The three-time gold medalist felt pain in his leg and didn’t want to risk anything in the Olympic year.
Duplantis fully understands Murro’s solution.
– I believe that Wilma knows what is best for her, and the most important thing for an athlete is to listen to her body. Wilma was able to look at the big picture and her focus is on Paris. He wants to bring the prize from Paris to Finland.
According to Duplantis, one of the biggest mistakes an athlete can make is not listening to their body’s message. However, stopping the competition is extremely difficult and easier said than done. In Duplantis’ opinion, it is then important that the athlete has people around him who know how to give the right advice and understand the sport and the athlete.
– I have a good situation in my career, because both my parents are involved. They know what I’m capable of, when to keep going and when to stop or slow down.