'I have higher heights in me'- says pole vault legend Mondo Duplantis

MUMBAI: For someone who’s just bro ken the world record for the 11th time, here’s something you probably never thought you might hear pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis say: “It does get a little bit more difficult every time.” Really? Let’s rewind to the scene of his latest moment of glory, at the All Star Perche indoor silver meet in Clermont-Ferrand, France, on Feb 28.
The Swede and Emmanouil ‘Manolo’ Karalis, the Olympic bronze medallist, had both cleared 6.02m. At this point, the Greek athlete, after having one unsuccessful go at 6.07m, pulled out after feeling cramps. What does Duplantis go and do? First, he secures the outright win by clearing 6.07m; then, he raises the bar by 20cm and clears 6.27m on his first attempt! Then again, it’s not always as easy as he makes it look.
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Last week, the 25-year-old failed in all three of his attempts to better his mark and clear 6.28m at the 2025 Mondo Classic in his home country. He still won the event, of course. Next up, it’s the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing (March 21-23), where Duplantis will be looking to win the title for the third straight time.
Perhaps that’s where a 12th world record is destined to happen. Or perhaps, that’s the just the level of expectation that seems to surround the reigning two-time Olympic and world champion going into every event he enters.
“I think about it (breaking the record) probably less than you would imagine,” Duplantis told reporters during an online interaction ahead of the Nanjing championships. “I know that I have higher heights in me, but I guess the natural progression and where everything’s going right now, it takes a little bit of time and it’s just by fairly, fairly small increments. And it does get a little bit more difficult and difficult every time of course.
“But I just try to try to improve enough to keep it going forward. I know I’m like super close to 6.30m now and so I would like to get over 6.30 in the near future and then keep pushing it from there. But I’m not like crazy fixated on any number,” he added.
In his pursuit of greatness, Duplantis appears to have created a gulf between him and his rivals which some might find worrying. He hasn’t been beaten since July 2023. At his home event last Thursday, he was again too good for Karalis, who finished second, while American Sam Kendricks, who took silver at the Paris Games, was third.
So what does his dominance say about the rest of the field?
“I think that the competition level is very, very high; and if you compare it to previous levels, then I think it’s at the highest that it’s ever been,” Duplantis said, adding: “I just happen to be jumping also really high and pushing it to, I guess, another level. But as far as guys like Sam and EJ (Ernest John Obiena of Philippines) and especially Manolo (Karalis) now, those guys are pushing it really high. I mean in the past 10-15 years, they would have been winning lots of championships and lots of medals if it wasn’t for the way that I’ve been jumping recently.”
Worryingly for his rivals, Duplantis admits to being obsessed with finding ways to get even better, and yet, he can also imagine a life beyond pole-vaulting.
“I can’t really speak on how it’s going to be after I’m done jumping,” he said. “Naturally, it’s always a bit of a tough transition and I think I have confidence that I’ll be able to do it as smoothly as I can and find a new type of meaning in life.
“Pole vaulting is not everything. It doesn’t, like, completely define me as who I am and everything. I love it and I’m really good at it and I understand that and I do have an obsession with it, for sure, and I’ve had it for a long time. But I can live a life without pole-vaulting. I think I’m pretty confident in that.”
For the moment, however, Duplantis is busy building a rich sporting legacy. One centimetre at a time!