Mondo’s new problem – better than the athletics arenas can handle

It was said in advance that the gap between Armand Duplantis and his competitors had become smaller, especially in relation to Emmanouil Karalis, who was number one in the world with a jump of 6.17 before the Mondo Classic pole vault gala on Thursday.

But at home the Swedish superstar showed where the closet should be. He set the 15th world record of his career and was a full 31 centimeters better than second place Sondre Guttormsen.

Karalis? He stopped at 5.80, more than half a meter behind “Mondo’s” winning height of 6.31.

– Actually, it feels sick. Very sick. It was a slightly different atmosphere because everyone is jumping so well at the moment. The pole vault has reached another level in the last few weeks. “It gave me good energy before the gala,” says Duplantis, adding:

– Of course I want to show who is in charge.

The 26-year-old admits that Karali’s respectable previous world record at the end of February made him want to try something new at home in the IFU Arena: He decided to expand access to the pole vault mat to 22 instead of 20 steps.

– I would be lying if I said that he (Karalis) didn’t play a role in why he jumped so well. I thought, “Okay, I’ll do something new too.”

The correction was a success with four successful jumps out of a possible four (5.65, 5.90, 6.08 and 6.31). This was also possible because the new, raised inlet runway to the hall was sufficiently long – which does not seem to be the case for all indoor competitions.

There will be a few more world records. I have to pay for the wedding

– I won’t be able to jump with 22 steps at every competition because there is no space for it. So I will have to “back to reality”. But with regular outdoor competitions I will be able to do it. “I’ll start with track 4 or something,” he says, laughing – but no joke.

Immediately afterwards Toilet gold When he won in Tokyo last fall with a world record height of 6.30m, the new long-term goal was 6.40m – but the next dream frontier could represent a new kind of complication for the world’s greatest ever pole vaulter, who continues to improve.

When asked whether the organizers would need to set up new, higher pole vaulting areas in the future, “Mondo” replied.

– Yes, actually. Not everyone can do 6.40. It’s pretty cool.

But there is still a long way to go. First of all, 6.32 is the next stop – perhaps at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, which will be decided next week. Then he looks forward to setting more world records before the end of the year.

– A few more. “I have to pay for the wedding,” jokes “Mondo,” who will marry his fiancée Desiré Inglander later this year.

Read more:

New world record from “Mondo” – first in its own gala