Armand Duplantis suffered a shocking defeat last time out.
Now Kajsa Bergqvist gives her brutally honest view of the world star.
– It shows that he is human, she tells SportExpressen.
Everyone was shocked by what happened at the Diamond League Gala in Monaco three weeks ago. The world’s best pole vaulter Armand Duplantis stayed at a very modest 5.72 and was only fourth in the competition.
Duplanti’s shock
A surprising defeat that hasn’t happened for several years for the Swede. But the truth was that “Mondo” was bothered by spasms in the hip and did not want to risk anything in the last competition before this summer’s World Championships in Athletics.
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Only two weeks remain until the World Cup and when the national team captain Kajsa Bergqvist can give her honest verdict on Swedish medals, she lands in three pieces: Daniel Ståhl, Perseus Karlstrom and precisely Armand Duplantis. The latest loss is not something she believes will interfere with Duplanti’s new pursuit of gold.
READ MORE: Armand Duplantis now breaks the silence after the Swedes’ great concern – “Mondo” admits the fear before the World Cup
Bergqvist honest
On the contrary, she is brutally honest and sees it as something good that the 23-year-old lost.
– I think the result shows that he is human. His own expectations and those from sponsors, family and the world mean that Mondo has a lot on his shoulders, says Bergqvist to SportExpressen.
– You can always talk about external pressure, but there is always a strong internal pressure as well. I have never in my sports career met a person who handled it better than he has. On two occasions, when I was national team captain, he has set world records at championships.
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Kajsa Bergqvist sees it as a good lesson for the superior Mondo, who is otherwise racking up victories, gold and world records on an assembly line.
– To maintain that level and sharpness in basically every competition is unparalleled. Now he had an opportunity where it turned out that it is not so easy to jump six meters every time. I think it can be good for people to understand that it’s not just about adjusting the shoes on the track, says the former high jumper to the evening newspaper.
READ MORE: The secret revealed: Mats Sundin is better(!) than Foppa, Henke Larsson, Armand Duplantis and JO Waldner
She still holds Duplantis as the big favorite for gold in the men’s pole vault and sees no reason whatsoever for concern ahead of the Athletics World Championships.
– No I do not think so. I see no signs of anything that would make me think so. There is no reason to be worried about him, she says in the interview.
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The post Kajsa Bergqvist’s brutally honest words about Armand Duplantis after the shock: “Shows that he is human” appeared first on Sportbibeln.