Mondo Duplantis to face his idol at Weltklasse Zürich
Winning an Olympic gold medal and setting a new world record is quite a feat and an experience that may be hard to top. Competing against your teen idol, however, does make the list of fantastic things that can happen in an athlete’s career. The special moment had not been possible in Paris, but it will come in Zurich: Mondo Duplantis will compete against a living pole vault legend.
«Mondo can jump 6.23m.» Renaud Lavillenie’s prediction came just after the 20-year-old Swedish pole vault wunderkind had broken the French star’s world record by clearing 6.16m four years ago. Since then, Duplantis has kept on improving his personal best by eight centimetres and has arrived at – 6.25m. In his progress, he has also steadily increased the gap to his opponents’ results. He is now a two-time Olympic and world champion, and a three-time European and Wanda Diamond League champion. Lavillenie is ahead of him only when it comes to the number of Diamond League final wins. He was able to triumph as many as seven times.
France’s Olympic champion of 2012 would have loved to ennoble his career in front of his home crowd in Paris. Unfortunately, however, he had missed a large part of the qualification period due to a persistent injury. Now, “Air Lavillenie” – whose poster once adorned the wall of Duplantis’ room – returns to the big stage. The last win of the living pole vault legend in Zurich dates back to 2016.
Nine world records and a prestigious duel
Mondo Duplantis’ career has kept moving upwards in recent years. The Swedish superstar managed to improve his own world record mark as many as nine times (four times on the occasion of international championships). No athlete cleared the magic 6m mark more often than him. This year, Mondo will fulfil a long-awaited wish: He will give the 100m a try and challenge 400m h world record holder Karsten Warholm in a prestigious duel (Wednesday, 4 September). In the coming days we will be announcing further events, including the field for the men's 400m hurdles, where Karsten Warholm will also be competing alongside his duel against Mondo Duplantis.
The five top athletes of 2024 will fly high at Letzigrund Stadium
And his own event, too, tough opponents are getting ready to challenge him: This year’s top athletes will all compete at Letzigrund Stadium. The illustrious list includes Olympic silver medallists Christopher Nilsen (USA, 2021) and Sam Kendricks (USA, 2024), as well as Asian champion Ernest John Obiena (PHI), and Lavillenie’s fellow countryman Thibaut Collet). Together with Mondo, they are the world’s five best pole vaulters this season.
“The pole vault competition at Weltklasse Zürich will be spectacular as always and particularly exciting, this year. The members of an extraordinary line-up will treat the audience to a fabulous airshow,” said Co-Meeting Director Andreas Hediger. “And ‘fabulous’ is also an appropriate term to introduce the cast of the men’s 1500m. The fastest and most successful runners of the season will all compete at Letzigrund Stadium. A glance at the entry list reveals that fans may have to hold their breath right up to the finish line.”
A 1500m duel that turned into a four-way contest
Much was written about the supposed “duel of the Paris Olympic Games”, the 1500m race, 2021 Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen vs. world champion Josh Kerr. But then, Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse sprang a surprise on the two Europeans.
When two people quarrel, a third rejoices. The phrase sums up the epic Paris 1500m final quite nicely. While all eyes were on the duel between the favourites, Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen (NOR) and world champion Kerr (GBR), two US-American athletes launched a sensational finish. At Weltklasse Zürich, the four will meet again for a post-Olympic showdown.
Cole Hocker had already demonstrated his sprint capabilities at the US trials, where he defeated defending champion Yared Nuguse and won in a new personal best of 3:30.59. In Paris, the 23-year-old world indoor championship silver medallist improved his mark again by almost three seconds, winning Olympic gold in 3:27.65 and setting a new continental and an Olympic record in the process. It was no doubt the race of his life, so far.
Crossing the finish line right behind him, Tokyo bronze medallist Josh Kerr took silver in 3:27.79 and set a new British record. For Yared Nuguse, who came in third, it was the first Olympic medal. He, too, finished the race in a new personal best (3:27.80). In contrast, Tokyo winner and European record holder Jakob Ingebrigtsen paid dearly for starting out at world record pace and had to make do with fourth place in the end. Of course, the two-time world champion then went on to storm to Olympic gold in the 5000m.
At Weltklasse Zürich, the Norwegian superstar is out for revenge. He can count on the service of pacemakers on the first 1000m of the race and on wavelight technology this time around. The Olympic medallists are aware of the scenario at Letzigrund Stadium, of course. In 2023, Nuguse won the competition after an impressive final sprint duel with Kerr. So far, a ninth place has been the best result in Zurich for Hocker.
