He has competed less and eaten less. All to defend his first Olympic Games gold, which Armand Duplantis won during the pandemic-affected summer games in Tokyo three years ago.
The 24-year-old is, considering he wins all the competitions he enters and consistently improves his own world record, the clear favorite to take home the gold in front of 80,000 spectators at the Stade de France.
And it's a situation he's used to.
I know it's because I jump well, it's no coincidence that it's like this. I know what I can do and how high I jump compared to everyone else, he says.
I'm starting to get used to being the favorite.
The star has been careful to focus on the qualifying round first – which he cleared easily – and then think about the final.
At the same time, he has already planned what he will do after tonight's final, which starts at 19.00.
Duplantis wants to eat food.
I haven't competed much this year and when I have a competition schedule, I can eat something afterwards and then maybe eat again the next day. So now I'm craving so much food, he says.
Dad brought a lot of food from the USA, so I'll cook some American dishes from Louisiana after the Olympic Games.
Duplantis will, however, not wait until he gets home to eat well.
He has already looked up an American chain in Paris that he will order food from after the final.
I've done my research.
