PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Best in the world at pole vaulting.
But if Armand Duplantis not engaged in pole vaulting, he knows what sport he had bet on.
– There I could take advantage of my speed, he says to Aftonbladet.
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis is the best pole vaulter of all time. He has raised the world record from 6.16 to 6.23 meters in three years, and only 23 years old. This year alone, Mondo has broken the world record twice, winning WC gold and the Diamond League.
Mondo about MMA
Another good pole vaulter is Piotr Lisek. The 31-year-old has five World Cup medals and as many European Championship medals, and is the first Pole to clear over six meters in the pole vault. Recently, Lisek decided to try something completely different, and signed up for a martial arts gala.
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Lisek’s result in MMA is now one match – a win by knockout. Armand Duplantis sat at home and watched his fellow pole vaulter’s MMA debut.
– I thought it would be a celebrity stunt, but it was pure UFC level. Much cooler and harder. Piotr dominated from the first second and got that flying knee in the other guy’s stomach, he tells Aftonbladet.
Plan B for pole vaulting
Although Mondo was impressed, it’s not something he plans to try himself.
– I don’t necessarily want to fight myself, but I can imagine that it is the craziest adrenaline rush in life. It must be the most primal feeling in the world, but I wonder if I’m enough of an adrenaline junkie to put myself up for it. Perhaps.
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Instead, Duplantis has another idea for a sport he could have excelled in if he wasn’t a pole vaulter, in addition to baseball, which he has also played some.
– Football. There I could take advantage of my speed. If I had grown up in Sweden, I would certainly have played, because I have ball sense and eye-hand coordination, says Mondo to the evening newspaper.
READ MORE: Armand Duplanti’s unexpectedly harsh words about himself – which make the Swedish people amazed: “Honestly speaking”