Sweden’s Armand Duplantis celebrates setting the brand new world file after the lads’s pole vault remaining of the athletics occasion on the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 5, 2024. (Photograph by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis says the protection of his Olympic pole vault crown in world-record fashion got here as no shock as he had visualized it a “million occasions” when working towards as a toddler in his personal yard.
Coached by his American father Greg, a former pole vaulter, Duplantis is a product of a monitor and field-crazy household which had their very own vaulting equipment within the backyard.
They had been all current within the stadium and it was to them that Duplantis hurtled after crusing over 6.25 meters with no “pre-canned nonsense.”
READ: Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis–pole vault’s invincible celebrity
“That’s simply overflowed with feelings, freaking out,” mentioned Duplantis, the brand new file bettering his earlier finest by 1cm in entrance of a delirious 69,000-capacity crowd on the Stade de France on Monday night time.
“I’ve been lucky sufficient to do it a number of occasions now, however each time the sensation is type of the identical. This was a extra excessive model.
“Once I’m going over the bar it’s like AI (synthetic intelligence), it doesn’t really feel actual. That was extra hysteria and freaking out.”
Having began vaulting on the age of 4 in his yard on a makeshift runway and touchdown pad, Duplantis revealed his deja vu second.
“I’ve visualized this second one million occasions in my life. I imply, that is each time I used to be in my yard,” he mentioned of his world file vault.
“I’d simply think about that the bar was on the world file mark. It was the Olympic remaining — that’s just about precisely what I visualized.”
Duplantis was pleased to bask within the second and never be drawn into trying too far into the longer term after his success.
It was the ninth time the Swede had damaged the world file, an astonishing achievement given he’s nonetheless solely 24 years previous.
READ: Duplantis breaks pole vault world file in gold medal end at Paris Olympics
‘Nothing to lose’
The silver medalist on the night time, American Sam Kendricks, managed 5.95m, a full 30cm in need of Duplantis’ mark.
What subsequent for two-time Olympic champion Duplantis, who can also be twice world out of doors and indoor gold medallist, three-time European champion and a three-time Diamond League winner?
“In all probability one of many moments the place I cared least in regards to the future is correct now, absorbing this second proper now,” mentioned Duplantis.
“How can I care about anything? When issues align the way in which they did for me, you’ve received to get pleasure from these sorts of issues.
“I attempt to get pleasure from as finest as I can.”
Duplantis may have waited till again on the circuit for a tilt on the world file, for which prize cash is given, however he selected to try it on monitor and discipline’s greatest stage.
“The largest dream since a child was to interrupt the world file on the Olympics,” he mentioned.
“I’ve been in a position to do this in entrance of probably the most ridiculous crowd I’ve ever competed in entrance of.
“If I don’t beat this second in my profession, then I’m fairly fairly okay with that. , I don’t assume you actually can get a lot better than what simply occurred. So it’s dang wonderful.”
Of his remaining vault, Duplantis mentioned he was “simply making an attempt to manage the power moderately than let it management me”.
“I didn’t actually have something to lose both. I’d already received and broke the Olympic file, I used to be already Olympic champion for a second time.”
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