Swedish pole vaulting superstar talks through what it would mean to set a 14th world record, how rival Emmanouil Karalis motivates him and his “super high expectations” for Tokyo
Mondo Duplantis continues to reach for the stars. At this past week’s Istvan Gyulai Memorial (August 12), he set the 13th world record of his illustrious career with an extraordinary clearance of 6.29m in Budapest.
Returning to the scene of his 2023 World Championships triumph, the Swede was pushed by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, especially after the pair both sailed over 6.02m at the first attempt.
After two failures at 6.11m, Karalis bowed out of the competition leaving Duplantis, once again, centre stage. The Swede eventually surpassed that mark and, with the watchful eyes of the entire stadium on the double Olympic and world champion, the bar was then raised to 6.29m.
Although he slightly rattled it on his second attempt, Duplantis cleared the height. Upon landing and, after a quick look up to see if the bar had stayed on, the Swede rushed to his celebrate with his fiancé, friends and family in the crowd.
The next height on the list? 6.30m. From Roger Bannister’s 3:59.4 mile to Usain Bolt’s 9.58 100m run, athletics is full of marks that stand the test of time. If Duplantis can clear 6.30m, he will – if he hasn’t already – join that club.
On a World Athletics video call with media from across the globe, the Swede refused to be drawn in to the prospect of a 14th world record – which would equal Sergey Bubka’s tally – and instead emphasised his need to refine the “little details” ahead of next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
“Of course the natural next step would be 6.30m and I think that would be a huge barrier for me to cross and for the sport in general,” Duplantis said. “I’ll just keep looking forward and hopefully I’m able to cross that in the near future. As far as the limit goes for myself, I don’t know. I actually think about it a lot less than you would probably imagine but I know that there’s a lot more in me and that I’m gonna keep jumping higher.
“I’m going to keep pushing it but you know, I’m not like a numbers person. I go with the flow quite a bit, I like to let things just kind of happen naturally and just take whatever life gives me. The main thing is that I’m showing that I’m in good shape and everything’s going as I would like it to. At this point of the season, I’m just trying to keep pushing forward and, ahead of Tokyo, making sure that all the little details are polished.
“They don’t just give me the trophy because I’m the favourite. There’s probably a lot of people that are going to be cheering me on, maybe more than the other pole vaulters, but I still have to go out the compete. I have to be on my A game and I have to be the last man standing to earn my title.”
He has mixed memories of competing in Tokyo. Duplantis, who was still just 21 at this point, secured his first ever major global outdoor gold medal by topping the Olympic podium but, due to Covid-19 restrictions, achieved the feat in front of a near-empty stadium.
The World Athletics Championships will mark the first time Duplantis has returned to the 67,750 capacity National Stadium and he is keen to put on a show to an expectant crowd.
“Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve been this excited about a competition, maybe ever,” he said. “The last time I was in the stadium in Tokyo it was little bit spooky and there was an eerie type of feeling because of all the circumstances. So I’m really excited to go back to the scene where I won my first Olympic gold, which is of course was a life-changing moment for me in my career.
“I think jumping in front of the Japanese fans and spectators is going to bring out something I’ve never done before. You know, I’ve never really jumped in Japan in that kind of way [he won Olympic gold with 6.02m and just missed 6.19m in 2021]. I have super high expectations. Of course, I don’t know exactly what to expect because I’ve never done an outdoor championship in Japan with fans. But I mean, as far as the way that I’m mentally approaching it, I think it’s going to be crazy. I think the atmosphere is going to be insane. And, you know, then it’s just up to me to enjoy that and channel it, so I can put on a good show.”
One big motivator for Duplantis in Tokyo will likely be Karalis, who has improved his personal best in the pole vault from 6.00m to 6.08m in the past year. Even though the Greek athlete ended up a distant second to the Swede in Budapest, the duo were still competing against each other at 6.11m.
Given Karalis went fourth on the world pole vault all-time list just under a fortnight ago with his 6.08m in Volos , Duplantis is the first person to recognise the threat he poses in Tokyo.
“I’m not so surprised because he’s very talented and we’ve both been jumping since we were like 14 years old or so against each other,” Duplantis said. “We’re pretty big on-track rivals competitively but we’ve also got a good friendship on the side too, so we’ve got a lot of respect for each other. He’s an amazing pole vaulter with so much talent and I think everything’s come to life this year for him. He’s really blossomed into the athlete he can be this season.
“He’s had a lot of six-metre plus jumps this year and I think that’s only a good thing for me because it pushes me on. Seeing his close attempts at 6.11m in Budapest gave me a lot of energy and motivation. It’s for sure put some fire under me and I think everybody loves that because it’s always it’s always good when people are pushing each other. That’s the beautiful thing about sport.”
Is it possible Duplantis could use a stiffer pole to maximise every marginal gain in Tokyo? A stiffer pole offers better energy transfer and stability, particularly during the crucial takeoff phase. It can also allow vaulters to generate more vertical lift and achieve a higher vault.
“I just want to keep improving and keep trying to advance myself in every way,” Duplantis added. “One of the big ways would definitely be to use a new and stiffer pole. I’ve used exactly the same pole since my 6.20m world record [Belgrade 2022]. So for the past, whatever, 10 world records or so, I’ve used the same pole, which has the same stiffness and everything.
“But I have one pole that’s just a tiny bit stiffer, that I’ve tried to use and I haven’t really been able to use it. However, I haven’t tried it when I’m in really good shape. Sometimes I’m a little too heavy or I’m a little bit flat on my legs and whatnot. So I think it can work. Maybe it’s a Tokyo thing.”
Next up for Duplantis is this Saturday’s Silesia Diamond League [August 16] before he takes part in the 100th anniversary of the Sweden v Finland international in Stockholm [August 22-24]. After that it’s the Zürich Diamond League final [August 27-28] and then his sole focus is on Tokyo.
Even with the electric form of Karalis, there’s no doubting Duplantis will be the heavy favourite to claim a third consecutive world crown. If he secures it with a world record of 6.30m, then it will surely be his greatest achievement to date.
