Mondo Duplantis, the record-breaking pole vaulter, proved that he has the speed to match after taking on 400m world record holder Karsten Warholm in a 100m sprint.
In a surprising showdown at the Zurich Diamond League Weltklasse, the two athletes sprinted alongside each other at Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, for an exhibition race on Wednesday, September 4.
Highlights
- Mondo Duplantis, a record-breaking pole vaulter, beat 400m world record holder Karsten Warholm in a 100m sprint.
- Both athletes clocked personal best times, with Mondo finishing in 10.37 seconds and Karsten in 10.47 seconds.
- The race took place at the Zurich Diamond League Weltklasse in Switzerland on September 4.
- Mondo taunted his opponent by staring him down as he crossed the finish line.
The thrilling race saw both the sports stars clock their personal best times.
Pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis surprised the audience while competing against 400m world record holder Karsten Warholm in a 100m sprint
Image credits: Daniela Porcelli/by Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
When the race began, the two blazed across the track and were side-by-side for a few moments. But in the final few seconds, Mondo managed to cross the finish line with enough time to turn and stare down at his opponent.
The Swedish pole vaulter finished the race in just 10.37 seconds, while his Norwegian opponent clocked a time of 10.47 seconds.
As the athletes registered their personal best times, they would have both qualified from the preliminary round of the 100m at the Paris Olympics.
Both athletes recorded personal bests, with Mondo crossing the finish line in just 10.37 seconds, followed closely by his opponent at 10.47 seconds
“I’m pretty fired up. How could I not be?” Mondo told reporters after he crossed the finish line. “Stop playing with me!”
“You know, I’ve got to give it to Mondo. He beat me today, fair and square, so it was a great race,” Karsten said. “He was out the blocks so fast. He was out really sharp.”
Netizens were impressed to see the outcome of the race.
“Good stuff. I'd love to see them do this again... this time over 200m,” one person said, while another wrote, “Bro is completing side quests atm.”
“I’m pretty fired up. How could I not be?” the pole vault champion said after crossing the finish line. “Stop playing with me!”
Another wrote, "Karsten would probably have the edge over the longer distance; or if not, it would probably be closer than today's race was."
Mondo has made quite the mark in the field of pole vaulting and has set 10 world records. He set a 6.25m at the 2024 Paris Olympics and then broke the record with 6.26m in the Diamond League in Poland just weeks later.
Karsten is the current world record-holder in the 400m hurdles and won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a time of 45.94 seconds. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he won silver with a time of 46.46 seconds.