14 jumps into the gala, the temperature was seriously raised for the first time inside the IFU Arena in Uppsala. It was time for the evening’s protagonist, Armand Duplantis, to make his first jump at the Mondo Classic pole vaulting event.
Almost everyone in the audience stood up and watched the Swedish world star playfully easily sail over his entry height of 5.67.
– It’s so easy, notes SVT’s expert Alhaji Jeng.
But it wouldn’t look so easy later in the evening.
Duplanti’s miscalculation – ripped out at 6.02
Duplanti’s second height of the evening, 5.82, he managed almost even easier. According to the TV graphics, his was “actual height” 6.03. At that height, three of his seven competitors disappeared. At the next height, 5.92, two more disappeared.
Duplantis managed with trepidation on the bar, edging KC Lighfoot and Sam Kendricks (who saved two jumps from 5.92) to 6.02.
There came Duplanti’s first demolition of the evening. And the other.
Kendricks pulled out and so did Lightfoot, securing Duplanti’s victory. He wanted more – but it didn’t work out today.
– This is not the level Mondo wants or should jump to, says Alhaji Jeng in SVT.
This is the first time since 2021 that Mondo has failed to jump over six meters in two consecutive events (championship qualifiers not included). He started this year’s season by only managing 5.80 in Kazakh Astana – and here he stopped at 5.92.
Afterwards he was very disappointed.
– I try to look at it as positively as I can… because there were things here that were good. Everything went very well except that I didn’t get to the high jumps, he says.
– Actually, it wouldn’t be so bad if it hadn’t happened here in Uppsala. Because I really wanted to put on a proper show for them.
Duplantis: “I was the one who killed myself”
In SVT, Duplantis was noticed for his enormously high speed on the approach track. He ran at a speed of 10.24 meters per second, a very high mark for Duplantis, but it led to problems.
– The mistake I made was to change the rod after the first failed attempt at 6.02. In between, when you go up a rod size too quickly, it becomes so…
– So it was tactical mistakes rather than speed that made it the way it was.
Duplantis says he feels a little worried, but will try not to think too much about the opening two races of the season and recharge as usual for the next race in France on February 22.
– As I said, it feels extra difficult because this is happening in Uppsala. You could say I have my excuses for not working. I don’t have that here, but I was the one who tactically removed myself. I felt good, but didn’t jump the heights that I want to do.
