Armand Duplantis and Karsten Warholm competed in the 100-meter exhibition race

The race was an exhibition race, organised the day before the Diamond League meeting in which both will compete in their events.

They are outstanding athletes, and their places in history have long been assured. Duplantis, known by everyone as Mondo, took home gold at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, breaking his own world record with a jump of 6.25 m and a centimeter.

Paris 2024. Athletics. A jump worthy of gold. Duplantis reaches 6 m in the pole vault final

And after the Olympics, in Chorzów, he improved the record to 6.26. Warholm did not defend the title in Paris, he was second, losing to Rai Benjamin, the incredible world record – 45.94 – belongs to him from the 2021 season.

In Zurich they competed in the 100 m race.

“I was pretty pumped up, how could I not be”

Mondo took off from the starting blocks brilliantly, like from a slingshot, like from a catapult. Warnholm, who trains this element, fell behind immediately. And he couldn’t catch up with the Swede. Mondo was rushing, Mondo was flying, and before the finish line he glanced to the side, at his rival chasing him, as Jamaican Usain Bolt once did.

Time – 10.37 s, excellent, hard to believe. The fans were delighted, the winner didn’t move a muscle in his face. He won, so what, it’s a big deal to me. The defeated’s time – 10.47 s, a clear loss in the sprint.

Armand Duplantis (left) and Karsten Warholm outside the stadium are great mates

Bolt’s world record from the 2009 season is 9.58 seconds.

Polish record by Marian Voronin from the 1984 season – 10.00 s.

Now note – the result achieved in Zurich would give Duplantis the title of Polish champion in the 100-meter dash this year. At the end of June in Bydgoszcz, the sprinters ran very slowly in the final.

Gold – Dominik Kopec, 10.63.

Srebro – Oliver Wood, 10.67.

Bronze – Adrian Brzeziński, also 10.67.

A necessary note – in the final, the competitors were hindered by a strong wind in their faces, blowing at a speed of 2.6 m/s. – I entered the blocks and I was pushed back – commented Kopeć. In the elimination race, he achieved 10.22 s, his personal best – 10.05 – is the second result in the history of Polish sprinting.

Post-race comments? “I was pretty pumped, how could I not be,” Duplantis confessed.

– Mondo beat me fair and square, he came out of the blocks in a flash and was also great on the distance – admitted Warholm.

Before the race, the gentlemen agreed that the defeated runner would start the next day in the rival’s national jersey, so Warholm will run in Swedish colors on Thursday evening, which – as he announced – will not be welcomed in Norway.

Duplantis beats Warholm in extraordinary track duel (Reuters)