PHOTO: Bildbyrån
European Championship gold, championship record and bonus – then the plan was that Armand Duplantis would have jumped clear in Rome.
But the star repented and made three attempts at the world record height of 6.25 meters.
– Just for fun, he says.
Tired and hungry but also happy. It was the feelings for Armand Duplantis when he left the interior of the Olympic Stadium after securing the third European Championship gold of his career (away).
– I did what I wanted to do and I just jumped very well. It felt great. I’m happy with what I did and European Championship gold is something I don’t take for granted. Third time too. It’s crazy, says Mondo Duplantis.
The article continues after the picture.
The plan was that Duplantis would take 6.10 and thereby secure both the championship record and bonus money of almost SEK 600,000. Of course he did.
“Both are nice”
But which was more important, records or money, he had a hard time choosing.
– Both are nice. Both gave me a push to skip (6,10). The plan was that I wouldn’t try for the world record today, my parents and I talked about it and I was most interested in winning, taking 6.10 and then chilling. But just for fun, he says about why he made three attempts at 6.25 after all.
The first attempt at the record was the best.
The article continues below.
The 24-year-old has said that he does not think the bonus system introduced for the European Championships in Rome, where the winner of a group of disciplines receives the bonus money of 50,000 euros, is fair. After securing the bonus, he says:
– I like the system because it is a good system for me anyway. Because I won so I won’t complain. But it’s a bit of a shame for the others in the jumping branches.
Deserves pizza
It was a very long evening – the pole vault took almost 3.5 hours and then the award ceremony and interviews awaited. It was a very hungry EC gold medalist who spoke to Swedish journalists at 00:30. It became food talk in every other sentence.
– This is very late, a little too late, because I haven’t had dinner. Now I just have to focus on finding food, I’m very tired and very hungry. I deserve pizza or pasta.
The article continues after the picture.
He is now going home to Sweden and starting the upload before the Olympics. The closest competition is the Diamond League competition in Paris on July 7.
– I have quite a long time until then.
The Greek Emmanuel Karalis attempted 5.92, 5.97 and 6.02 but stopped at 5.87 and finished second. Ersu SasmaTurkey, and Oleg ZernikelGermany, tied for third at 5.82
Share the article to pay tribute to Armand Duplantis after the European Championship gold! 🏆
READ MORE: Armand Duplantis stopped by the family – mother Helena Duplantis regrets her decisive decision: “I should never have done it”
About Armand Duplantis:
Born: November 10, 1999 in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.
Living: Stockholm.
Club: Uppsala IF.
Nickname: “Mondo”.
Main merits: Holds the pole vault world record of 6.24 since the Diamond League competition in Xiamen on April 20, 2024. Olympic gold 2021, WC gold 2022 and 2023, WC silver 2019, WC indoor gold 2022 and 2024, EC gold 2018 , 2022 and 2024, indoor EC gold in 2021.
Sign up for our newsletter
Share