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Swedish-American pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis recently reflected on his disappointing run at the 2023 Monaco Diamond League. The 24-year-old shared his feelings about coming fourth. He also mentioned the anticipation he experienced in competing at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which was just a month after the Diamond League.
During last year’s Monaco Diamond League, Mondo Duplantis had issues with his hamstrings. As a result, the athlete could not surpass the championship’s winner, Chris Nilsen’s 5.92m mark. He failed twice in clearing the mark, but eventually achieved clearance at 6.02m. However, Duplantis’s efforts did not bring him any fortune.
Besides the American gold medalist, Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines and Kurtis Marschall of Australia achieved the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Mondo Duplantis had to settle with his fourth-place finish.
Remembering that particular challenging phase of his 2023 season, Mondo Duplantis said at the World Athletics Award ceremony,
“It wasn’t the best day,” he said. “It was probably my worst one of the year, actually. I had some problems with my hamstring, it was quite tight."
Furthermore, Duplantis talked about his consciousness for the upcoming world championship. He did not want to disrupt his hamstring health at the Diamond League as it would affect his performance at the crucial championship in August.
“And I was starting to freak out a little bit. It wasn’t anything so major, of course, because I was able to compete well at the World Championships just a few weeks later. But I was a little bit freaked out as far as it being my last competition before the World Championships, so I didn’t want to do anything to strain my hamstring.”
Duplantis described what went wrong while competing at the Monaco Diamond League,
“I was just starting to get more tight in the competition, so I had to be more aggressive than I would have liked to be as far as the heights that I picked were concerned."
He added,
“I tried to pick a jump to try to win it, but it didn’t work out. Physically, I wasn’t really quite there.”
Mondo Duplantis to kickstart his 2024 season by competing in Mondo Classic
2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Mondo Duplantis is all set to compete at the Mondo Classic, a championship named after him. It boasts silver status on the World Athletics Indoor Tour, the highest possible rating for a one-day international event.
Nevertheless, the championship will feature Duplantis and 10 other elite pole vaulters, including Olympians and World Championship medalists.
Duplantis expressed his excitement to be competing at the Mondo Classic 2024, via the competition's official website. He said,
“Competing at my home indoor arena in Uppsala means something extra to me, as I always jump well here. The jumpers who participate in the Mondo Classic 2024 will be my competitors also at the Olympics in Paris later in the season."
The upcoming championship is set to be grander than other athletics competitions. It will feature additional attractions like light shows and music to captivate the audience.
