Armand Duplantis holds the world record in pole vault. Karsten Warholm holds the world record in the 400 meter hurdles. On Wednesday evening, the Swede and the Norwegian met on the 100 meters in a highly publicized star duel at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich.
A duel that Duplantis emerged victorious from.
I'm pumped up now! Stop playing with me, stop playing with me, he says in Aftonbladet's broadcast.
Warholm, who finished with a time of 10.47, took the loss with ease:
I have to give it to "Mondo". He won fairly against me, it was a good race, he says.
Forced to compete in Swedish uniform
As a penalty, Warholm is now forced to wear a Swedish national team uniform when he competes on Thursday in his real event at the Diamond League gala in Zurich. Something that, of course, stings for a Norwegian.
Make sure to check in tomorrow, because this feels really good! And it will feel even better tomorrow. It's yours now, says Duplantis and hands over the uniform to Warholm.
That the two would duel has been a topic of discussion for a longer time. Already a couple of years ago, "Mondo" started talking about running the 100 meters. During a joint training session in Monaco, he then shook hands with Warholm on competing one day.
Karsten has the advantage of being more used to the starting blocks. But after the Olympic Games, apart from the competitions I've been in, I haven't touched a pole. I've only focused on the starting blocks, said Duplantis before the competition.
"Really world-class"
Warholm responded:
I wouldn't have shaken his hand if I didn't believe in myself. "Mondo" is really world-class. That's why this is so much fun. I'll give him everything I've got and I know he'll do the same, he said.
During the competition in Zurich, they thus made the plans a reality. Both made their entrance to the arena like before a boxing match, and then Duplantis took command and finished first.
The time of 10.37 would have been enough for a silver medal if Duplantis had participated in this year's Swedish Championships. On Thursday, he returns, just like Warholm, to regular competition at the Diamond League gala in Zurich.
Born: November 10, 1999, in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.
Event: Pole vault.
Selection of merits: Olympic Games gold 2024, 2020, World Championship gold 2022, 2023, World Championship gold (indoor) 2022, 2024, European Championship gold 2018, 2022, 2024. Set a world record – for the tenth time – in Polish Katowice when he cleared 6.26 meters.
Born: February 28, 1996, in Ulsteinvik, Norway.
Event: 400 meter hurdles.
Selection of merits: Olympic Games gold 2020, World Championship gold 2017, 2019, 2023, European Championship gold 2018, 2022, 2024. Olympic Games silver 2024. With 45.94 in the Tokyo Olympic Games, he holds the world record.
