A duel against Karsten Warholm.
Then Armand Duplantis does everything to win.
Now his new training partner is revealed – which surprised the entire athletics world.
– It was cool, says Mondo himself.
Armand Duplantis has ten straight world records in pole vaulting and is completely superior as world number one in the sport. Duplantis recently won his second straight Olympic gold, and just 20 days later he made history again by jumping 6.26 at a gala in Poland.
New move
But right now, it’s not just pole vaulting that he’s focused on. Duplantis has long talked about wanting to test his ability in the 100 meters, and that it would be fun with a duel against the Norwegian superstar Karsten Warholm, who is certainly involved in running, but in the 400 meter hurdles. After much writing, September 4 was nailed down as the date for the hot duel.
Who actually holds the favorite position is a bit unclear. Armand Duplanti’s last official time in the 100 meters came when he was 18 years old, when he ran 10.57 in a slightly too strong tailwind. But a lot has happened since then, and Mondo’s greatest strength as a pole vaulter is just how explosive he is up to the bar. In any case, it is clear that Armand Duplantis takes the duel against Warholm very seriously – and he does everything to be as good as possible.
“It was cool”
According to Aftonbladet, Mondo is said to have practiced starts with none other than Fred Kerley, American sprint star. He won bronze in the 100 meters at the Paris Olympics last summer, and World Cup gold two years ago. He is also one of only three runners in history to be under ten seconds in the 100 meters, under 20 seconds in the 200 meters, and under 44 seconds in the 400 meters.
– Just standing next to him and feeling that speed when you start is a wonderful feeling. It’s a completely different thing to be able to train with someone in that way. I’ve missed it since I went to high school, says Duplantis to Aftonbladet.
It is therefore the toughest possible opposition for Duplantis during training, and a clear proof of how Mondo values the duel against Warholm. But Duplantis admits he had trouble keeping up with Kerley’s pace…
– I was fairly involved, but when he gets up to speed, it goes away, he says.
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