Mondo Duplantis gets Joint European Athletics Male Athlete of the Year

This is a piece on Mondo Duplantis, written by Larry Eder, who is the joint winner, along with Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of the 2022 European Athletics Men’s Athlete of the Year, but was unable to attend the Golden Tracks Award ceremony in Tallinn, Estonia this past weekend.

There have been a few geniuses in the event of the pole vault. Sergey Bubka, Renaud Lavillenie, and now, Mondo Duplantis. Mondo has the physical skills, and the work ethic needs to excel. Mondo, like his predecessors, is as drawn to the audience as they are to him. 

Mondo Duplantis is the co-winner of the European Athletics Athlete of the Year, which he shares with Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Mondo Duplantis won the World Championships with a new World record of 6.21 meters. The Swedish superstar ended the World Championships on a world record note. His jump of 6.21 meters set a new world record and had the 22,000 fans in the new Hayward Field on their feet.

Mondo Duplantis is fascinating to watch in the act of competition. Mondo had pretty good conditions at the World Championships, and he was really fit. He wanted a big jump. He wanted to showcase the pole vault.

After his WR jump, the pleased Mondo Duplantis had this to say about his competition in Eugene, Oregon;

“I do not want to take too many jumps, so I just wanted to make it safe to the final. First of all, I want to win.

That is the most important thing. If I am able to jump high, then I would jump high. That would be nice, but the gold is the most important for me now. I managed to save some energy for the final. I am feeling good, I cannot complain, and I am ready for the final. Honestly, I am pretty used to coming to the competitions like a favorite already.

It has been like that for the past two years. It is what it is, and I am not trying to think about it too much and just get there and jump to show what I am capable of.”

Mondo has been a lifelong pole vaulter. Well almost. He began vaulting at five years of age. The video below shows him vaulting from five to about sixteen.

Mondo Duplantis has had the thoughtful guidance from his father, Greg Duplantis (a pole vaulter who won Pre Classic in 1993), and his mother, Helena, a former Swedish heptathlete.

Mondo’s development into the finest pole vaulter in the world has taken most of his young life. In meeting him in 2017, he…