Stekhet duel against Karsten Warholm.
Then Armand Duplantis has a greeting for the Swedish people.
– For everything in the world, says Mondo to Aftonbladet.
It all started with a funny fight at a training session, where Armand Duplantis thought he would win a 100 meter duel against the Norwegian running sensation Karsten Warholm. Warholm is the best in the world in the 400 meter hurdles, but is a runner after all – and not exactly anyone took Duplanti’s outing seriously.
Hot duel
But after even more talk and even more speculation in the media, this summer it was completely nailed down that the two world stars will meet in a heated duel. And tonight is the time. It is, to say the least, two top-of-form athletes who meet. Mondo is coming off a summer where he broke double world records and won Olympic gold, and even though Karsten Warholm “only” took silver in the Olympics, he is still an exceptional runner.
The athletics world will stand still when the race is decided in Zurich tonight, and for Armand Duplantis the preparations have been extremely thorough. He knows how much it means to win – and lose.
– It’s like Sweden against Norway. Big brother against little brother. It would sting if I lost this, says Duplantis to Aftonbladet.
Mondo’s call
Among other things, Armand Duplantis has said that it was the training for the duel against Warholm that kept him motivated enough to break another world record, just 20 days after the Olympics. Duplantis wins pretty much every pole vault event he competes in, so the 100m has been a carrot for him.
– This is what stuck with me the whole time. I’ve been looking forward to this more than anything after the Olympics. It’s big for me. Believe nothing else, says Mondo.
Both Armand Duplantis and Karsten Warholm say that it will hurt whoever loses. But Mondo also has an appeal to the Swedish people.
– I will win. And for everything in the world – don’t miss it, he says.
Sign up for our newsletter
Share