Armand Duplantis, the world record holder in the pole vault, defeated Karsten Warholm, the world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, in an unusual sprint duel over the 100 meters. The unique race, organized by Red Bull, provided fans with unexpected emotions, and Duplantis turned out to be faster than the Norwegian champion.
The idea for a sprint duel between Karsten Warholm, the Norwegian Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400m hurdles, and Swedish phenomenon Armand Duplantis, Olympic champion and world record holder in the pole vault, was born last year. It began with a joking exchange during training for the Diamond League meet in Monaco. Duplantis challenged Warholm to a 100m sprint, claiming he could beat him. Warholm, confident, accepted the challenge.
The duel took place this evening at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, one day before the last meeting of the 2024 Diamond League and just before the finals in Brussels. At the start Duplantis he immediately took the lead and didn’t give it up until the finish line, winning with a great time 10,37 s. Warholm, who had a slow start, finished in 10.47 and was unable to catch up with his rival. Both athletes set new personal bests: Duplantis’ previous best was 10.57, while Warholm’s personal best was 10.49.
source:X/LSU Track & Field
Besides the jokes, the race had an additional stake. The loser, Karsten Warholm, will have to compete tomorrow in Zurich in the winner’s uniform – the Swedish national team uniform.
24-year-old Armand Duplantis is currently considered one of the best track and field athletes in the world. Despite his young age, he has already won two Olympic gold medals and has broken the world record in the pole vault ten times. The last time he did it was on August 25 during the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów. He also has two gold medals from the World Championships and three gold from the European Championships, both in the stadium and indoors.
