Pole Vault Superstar Mondo Duplantis Beats 400m Hurdles World Record Holder Karsten Warholm in 100m Showdown
Mondo Duplantis, the pole vaulting superstar with ten world records to his name, defeated Karsten Warholm in a 100m showcase event ahead of the Zurich Diamond League Weltklasse.
Before the event, Duplantis had challenged Warholm during a training session before the Monaco Diamond League 2023, stating that he would “compete fiercely” but not explicitly claim victory.
One year later, Duplantis and Warholm faced off directly on the 100m track at the Letzigrund Stadium in Switzerland. Both athletes entered the track like boxing champions, shedding their robes to the excitement of the crowd, which included track stars Sha’Carri Richardson, Sam Kendricks from the US, and Dina Asher-Smith from the UK.
The key issue was how Duplantis would react at the start compared to Warholm, an expert in sprints and hurdles. Duplantis showed his thorough preparation, leading from the start to the finish line. He won with a personal best (PB) of 10.37 seconds, breaking his previous record of 10.57 seconds set in 2018 during his final year of high school.
Warholm also achieved a PB with 10.47 seconds, surpassing his previous record of 10.49 seconds set in 2017, but still fell short of Duplantis. Despite the pre-event banter, Warholm praised his opponent. “I have to give credit to Duplantis. He beat me fairly,” Warholm admitted.
“I’m thrilled,” Duplantis said with excitement. “Since the Olympics, I haven’t trained pole vaulting, only running. I enjoy sprinting. It’s an incredible feeling when the starting gun goes off and you’re getting ready to sprint. Everything explodes after the start, and it’s like the biggest surge of energy you’ve ever had.”
As per the agreement, Warholm will have to wear Swedish attire when competing in the 400m hurdles at the Zurich Diamond League on September 5th. Meanwhile, Duplantis can take pride in not only being a pole vaulting champion.
The challenge between the two athletes originated from playful banter at the Monaco Diamond League in July 2023, where Warholm remarked that Duplantis looked like a fast runner, prompting Duplantis to challenge him to a race. Warholm accepted, saying, “With my ego and self-esteem, I had to accept.”
Since making a splash at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Duplantis has continuously sought new challenges, including challenging former 100m Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Duplantis is currently the world’s top pole vaulter, having set ten world records, starting with a height of 6.17m in 2020. Since then, he has set nine more records, each time increasing by just 1 cm, and currently holds the record at 6.26m.
