BEIJING: Swedish superstar Armand “Mondo” Duplantis did not rule out another pole vault world record on the eve of his outdoor season opener, a month after the Paris 2024 champion snagged his third consecutive indoor title in China.
“I never really rule out anything,” he told reporters on the eve of the Diamond League event in the eastern city of Xiamen, adding that he hadn’t checked the conditions for Saturday but felt “really good.”
The 25-year-old set the first of his three world records in 2024 at the Xiamen Egret Stadium, clearing 6.24 meters at his first attempt.
He has since bettered his own mark to 6.27 meters, set at the All Star Perche in Clermont-Ferrand, France, in February after clearing 6.26 meters in Poland and 6.25 meters in Paris before a rapturous Olympic crowd.
He was named the 2025 World Sportsman of the Year on Monday, an honor he shares with Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt.
“It’s quite surreal,” he said.
Duplantis is joined in Xiamen by a star-studded cast that includes nine other world record holders and more than 20 reigning individual champions.
This weekend will also see the return of 200m world champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, who missed the chance of gold in Paris due to injury.
“I took some time to get healthy and I’m excited,” said the 30-year-old who will compete in the 200m for the first time since last July.
“I just want to cross the line healthy,” she said.
The 15-meet Diamond League this year is up against Grand Slam Track, which debuted in Kingston this month and runs through to June.
Conceived by former US sprint star Michael Johnson, the four-event series aims to showcase more races between the world’s best runners, sprinters and hurdlers as a way of drawing more eyes to athletics outside Olympic years.
Next week’s Diamond League stop in Shanghai/Suzhou conflicts with Grand Slam’s second meet in Miami.
Norway’s Karsten Warholm, US hurdling star Grant Holloway and Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana are among the stars who have committed to back-to-back meets in China instead of Grand Slam.
Also taking to the track on Saturday will be Kenya’s three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon in the 1,000m, while teammate Beatrice Chebet, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, will face Ethiopia’s 5,000m world record holder — and two-time world champion — Gudaf Tsegay over 5km.
American sprinter Christian Coleman will also begin his outdoor season in Xiamen along with Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Paris women’s high jump champion.
