Mumbai: There are times Mondo Duplantis visualises or jokes about random things he could do with his talent. Jump over a two-storey building perhaps. Maybe across a creek as well. He’d even fancy – God forbid he should ever be in that situation, he adds – an escape from prison.
“I’d probably have the best chance out of anybody if I had a nice stick to jump over the walls,” Duplantis said.
Hypothetical prison breaks aside, the pole vault star is busy breaking world records in reality. With seemingly ridiculous ease and astonishing frequency.
The most recent instance came on Tuesday, when Duplantis cleared 6.29m at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Budapest to better his 6.28m effort in June. It was the third time he raised his own mark this year, and the 13th overall since he first leaping a world record 6.17m in February 2020.
Next month as he returns to Tokyo, where the reigning two-time Olympic champion won his first gold in 2021, Duplantis will be in competition with himself to see if he can crank it up by another centimetre in defending his World Championships title.
Because the last time the Swedish-American pole vaulter did not win a World Athletics meet was, incidentally, leading into the 2023 Budapest Worlds when he was fourth at the Monaco Diamond League. It’s so far back that Duplantis needs a little reminding.
“If that was my last time, it would not be the last time, for sure,” Duplantis said in a virtual media interaction ahead of the Tokyo World Championships. “There’s going to be a day where I’m not going to jump well, but that happens.
“Doesn’t happen that often, though!” he is quick to add.
“And it probably won’t happen two times in a row.” Hasn’t happened since 2019.
From then to 2023 to now, as 25-year-old defied gravity one centimetre at a time (every broken record accompanies a flow of bonuses) and raised his legacy to legendary heights, he believes he has bettered his craft in every aspect.
“I’m just a competitor in every way,” he said. “I’m more experienced, have a better understanding physically and mentally of how to take care of myself and my body and what to do to remain in good shape. I’m also just better at performing and getting the most out of myself on each day.”
Duplantis wants us to believe he is “human”. And like most humans, he too feels the nerves and goes through sleepless nights before a big competition. But even those nerves are different.
“Like, I get really fired up and have to calm down the adrenalin. I don’t get scared… that’s usually a recipe for failure,” he said. “My mental strength and zen suits me well, and it’s something that I can separate myself from most athletes and jumpers that I’m going against.”
Duplantis also separates himself from the world of numbers. He doesn’t pay too much heed to his winning streak, volume of records or the next barrier to break.
“Because I have the confidence that it will come. Doesn’t matter if it’s now, tomorrow, this year or next year,” he said.
What he does know, thanks to his father, is that he is close to the OG pole vault trendsetter Sergey Bubka’s similar one-centimetre upgrades 14 times over between 1991 and 1993. “He (his father) probably would like it even more for me to pass Bubka in every aspect,” Duplantis said.
In his mind – and he admits it’s the most common question he gets asked – there is no limit. His focus remains to “maximise in the now”. And for now, that is the 6.30m mark.
“That’ll be a huge barrier to cross for me and for the sport in general,” he said. “I’ll be there soon, and then I’ll keep looking forward. I know there’s a lot more to come.”
Winning so routinely, while breaking world records almost at will, can run the monotony risk. It helps that Duplantis reckons he has “short term memory loss”.
“I forget my accomplishments too quickly,” he said. “It’s just the way that I’m built.”
He’s also built to not stop – no matter the number of times he keeps bettering himself and breaking the record.
“I just love competing. Doesn’t matter how many world records I break,” he said. “In sports, nobody just gives you anything. Everything is earned. They don’t just give me the trophy because I’m the favourite. I still have to go out there, compete, be on my A game, earn my title and be the last man standing on that day.”
