WATCH: Mondo Duplantis' pleasant surprise leaves Texas Longhorns pole vaulter Sam Hurley in awe

Mondo Duplantis, the pole vault world record holder, welcomed NCAA athlete Sam Hurley to the Red Bull family with a custom white-and-red cap. Hurley was beyond excited to receive the honor from Duplantis, sharing that he wouldn't have accepted it from anybody else in the world.

Duplantis made waves in 2024, winning the pole vault title at the Paris Olympics and lowering his world record for the ninth time. He repeated his world record-winning feat at the Silesia Diamond League by reaching the 6.26m mark, followed by winning his fourth Diamond League trophy in the Brussels finals. After his successful Paris campaign, the pole vaulter set sail on various off-track activities, including gracing the red carpet at the Paris Fashion Week in fits by Dior.

He then asked his long-time girlfriend, Desire Inglander for marriage, amid a Vogue photoshoot and in the presence of friends and family at The Hamptons. Following the dreamy proposal, Mondo Duplantis shifted his focus to F1, having awarded the Pirellis Pole Award to British driver Lando Norris at the US Grand Prix.

On October 21, 2024, the two-time Olympic gold medalist welcomed Texas Longhorns track athlete Sam Hurley to the Red Bull family. Duplantis, a Red Bull partner for a while now, surprised Hurley with a hat as the latter walked through the door and embraced the Olympian.

"There's no one in the world I'd rather give me this hat," the Texas Longhorns athlete said.

Watch the video below:

Hurley also asked whether he could wear it and expressed excitement when the answer was affirmative.

Hurley, hailing from Fayetteville, Arkansas, competes in the decathlon, running, pole vaulting, and high jumping. He started getting several brand deals after the Name, Image, and Likeliness update of the NCAA.

Mondo Duplantis remembers the cheers at Death Valley during his LSU days when he won the pole vault title in Paris

Mondo Duplantis after winning the pole vault title at the Wanda Diamond League 2024 Final - Allianz Memorial Van Damme Brussels - Source: Getty

Duplantis joined the LSU track and field roster in 2018 but gave up on it in 2019 to pursue a professional track career. Though he exited early, he still reminisced about the electric energy of the audience and athletes during his college competition days.

When Duplantis clinched the Olympic title with a world record mark, he was reminded of Death Valley, the LSU Tigers Stadium in Baton Rouge, when he competed for LSU.

“It was so loud. It sounded like Death Valley, honestly. It helped me quite a bit honestly, since I’m used to those kinds of crowds at LSU … I was just trying to channel the energy of the crowd," the 24-year-old said in a post-event interview on August 6, 2024 (via NBC).

Mondo Duplantis became the only athlete in history to reach six or higher distances in the pole vault. He has a spate of golds from the World and the European Championships as well.