Armand Duplantis won WC gold, but the competition turned out to be dramatic.
Now he admits how pressured he felt – with a tribute to Sweden.
– That always makes me grateful, says Mondo.
Armand Duplantis has had a brilliant start to the season. As always, Mondo was a huge favorite when the indoor WC was decided in March, but it turned out to be more dramatic than what we are used to. Mondo had problems already early in the competition, and had the knife to his throat not to complete a super fiasco.
Nice words about Sweden
But Duplantis has always made a name for himself as an athlete who is at his best when it matters most, and that was the case this time as well. Duplantis stayed in the competition, won it in the end – and was then even close to breaking a new world record.
Now, with the competition a few weeks away, Duplantis admits that he felt a lot of pressure during the competition. And the reason? He was wearing the blue-yellow suit.
– I am satisfied with the result. I’m competing for Sweden at a major championship, so I’m not just representing myself. It makes me feel extra pressure, but also gratitude that I managed it and won gold, says Duplantis to Eurosport.
Clever words about the parents
However, Duplantis believes that the competition did not go as he had planned, and that his parents, who are also coaches, were not completely satisfied afterwards.
– It was a very difficult competition, something I had not seen before me. But that’s the sport, and surely it was still exciting, wasn’t it? But I have to admit, I don’t think mom and dad wanted it that exciting, he says.
Next up for Armand Duplantis is the Diamond League premiere with double competitions in China, starting on April 20. He believes that he will have the dramatic World Cup final in his mind.
– It is thanks to such competitions that you can appreciate when you win by a margin. It makes one stronger. It wasn’t my best performance, but I’ll learn from it. I know exactly what I need to do, he says.
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