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Pole vaulting icon Mondo Duplantis has claimed that he was rooting for former world record holder Renaud Lavillenie to win the gold medal at the London Olympics 2012. The Swedish icon has revealed that he was a huge fan of the French legend before the two became rivals in 2017.
Lavillenie was the undisputed best of pole vaulting before Mondo Duplantis took over the reins gradually in the late 2010s. The Frenchman won gold at the 2012 Olympics and a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He held the records for indoor and outdoor pole vaulting, which Duplantis later surpassed. Lavillenie has recorded a personal best of 6.05m in the outdoor competitions while the same height goes to 6.16m in the indoor events.
Duplantis, who broke the pole vault world record for the 8th time at the Xiamen Diamond League, revealed his first memories of the Olympics in an interview with World Athletics. The 24-year-old recalled watching Usain Bolt's heroics at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and more importantly, the iconic last-attempt vault of Renaud Lavillenie.
“I remember watching the Games in London in 2012 when Renaud took the title. And I think he was at 5.97m on his last attempt, and that lifted him from third place to first, with an Olympic record," he revealed.
The Olympic champion added that he was hoping the French legend would make the jump and win the biggest title an athlete could win.
"“Seeing that performance was the big one for me. Because in 2012 I was 12, 13 and at the peak of my fandom for Renaud. So I was rooting for him more than I would cheer for anybody. Just to see him close the deal and win the biggest title that you can win – that was super-inspiring," Duplantis recalled.
Mondo Duplantis could very well be heading for an easy win at the Paris Olympics 2024 given the kind of form he has shown recently.
Mondo Duplantis wants to break the world record again
Last year in the Eugene Diamond League in September, Mondo Duplantis extended the pole vault world record to 6.23m. Now, in his first meet of the season, the 24-year-old has already surpassed that mark.
After breaking the world record for the eighth time on April 20, Duplantis claimed that he could do even better than the 6.24m mark. He told ESPN:
"It's definitely possible, conditions willing. I'm going to try to maximize the most out of every day. There's definitely more to give."
The 24-year-old even expressed dissatisfaction with his jump leading to the 6.24m world record. However, he did admit feeling ‘nice’ over the mark.
