courtesy of LSU Athletics
At the Paris Olympics, former LSU pole vaulter and Lafayette native Mondo Duplantis, who competed for his mother’s home country of Sweden, vaulted 20 feet 6 inches (6.25 meters) to break the world record for the ninth time and win a gold medal. Duplantis said in the moment, he wasn’t focused on getting the world record, he was just focused on making the jump.
“So just trying to stay tall but keep all the momentum going forward, and I guess like she [Duplantis’ mother, one of his coaches] said too, and trying to really find the run there on the last jump, and then… I hit it really good,” he explained.
Duplantis started pole vaulting as a child in his backyard in Lafayette, using a pit dug by his parents-slash-coaches, who had met when they were both on the LSU track and field team. Nine world records later, Duplantis said he didn’t think about setting a record while he was vaulting, but it all hit him once he hit the ground.
“I think this was probably [an] even more extreme version of the feeling too, but, you know, when I’m going over the bar, it’s just like… yeah, it just doesn’t feel real in a way, so that was more just kind of… hysteria and just freaking out,” he said.
After he won gold and set an Olympic record (6.10 meters, 20 feet), Duplantis had the bar moved one centimeter higher than world record height. Though he missed his first two jumps, he made the third and sealed a world record. He said he’s so thrilled about winning, he can’t possibly think about what’s next, adding, “Probably one of the moments where I care least about the future is right now.”
“Oh, good answer,” said Sam Kendricks, the American pole vaulter who won silver.
“I’m soaking up this right now,” Duplantis continued. “I mean, how could I care about anything except this?”
Duplantis is 24-years-old and the next Summer Olympics is in Los Angeles in 2028.
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