Photo: Bildbyrån
We Swedes love Armand Duplantis.
For the fifth year in a row, he has been voted the country’s most popular athlete.
– It means a lot to me, says the pole vaulter to Sportbladet.
EC gold, WC gold, Olympic gold, Olympic record, three world records and a successful courtship. 2024 will go down in history as one of the Armand Duplantis25, best year ever. The Swedish-American pole vaulter can also celebrate that he is extremely popular in his new homeland.
Duplantis wins for the fifth time
Not only that, Duplantis was awarded the prestigious Bragdgold for the second time in his life, for his magnificent efforts during the Olympics in Paris. He is now also voted by the Swedish people as the most popular athlete in this country. It is Sportbladet’s readers who vote every year – this is the fifth time in a row that “Mondo” has won.
– Yes, it is fantastic of course and I am extremely grateful for all the love I have received from the Swedish people. It means a lot to me. I encounter it pretty much every day when I’m in Sweden, he says in an interview with the newspaper.
READ MORE: Armand Duplantis ignores the championship: “So it looks”
In addition to the award as Sweden’s most popular athlete (he received 32 percent of the votes and came first Truls Möregårdh and Sarah Sjostrom) he has also received several more important awards for his efforts in 2024. Among other things, he has been named the world’s best athlete by the international sports journalists’ association AIPS and also by the British BBC.
– It couldn’t be better than it was this summer. It was my biggest dream to win Olympic gold and set a world record in the same competition. What I did this year can’t be beat. I honestly think so. There is so much to record and you only get one chance on a certain day every four years. New, I managed to dot everything and it will be difficult, he says.
Duplantis has celebrated Christmas and New Year in Sweden
Armand celebrated this Christmas in Sweden. He is usually in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he has an apartment. But now it was the first time that he was at home with his fiancée Desire Inglander23, over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
– Yes, this time it was my turn to celebrate Christmas with Desiré and her family in Stockholm. She had been with me in Louisiana two Christmases in a row. I like everything on the Christmas table from herring and salmon to meatballs and ham. The first two Christmas tables are delicious, but then I get a little tired of the prince sausage, he tells Sportbladet.
READ MORE: Armand Duplantis can now compete in completely new athletics disciplines
“Mondo” celebrated New Year in the Jämtland ski resort of Åre. But even though there was plenty of snow, he didn’t ski. He simply did not dare to risk anything. He also reveals to Sportbladet what he got for Christmas from his mother: a salad bowl and some plates.
What do you say about Armand Duplantis being Sweden’s most popular athlete? Do you agree or should someone else have won? Feel free to write a comment on Sportbibeln’s Facebook page.
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