Mondo Duplantis, the Swedish pole vaulting sensation, stunned the athletics world by clocking an impressive 10.37 seconds in the 100m sprint at a special exhibition duel against 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm in Zurich.
The event, which took place on the eve of the Zurich Diamond League, was a friendly rivalry between the two world record holders and world champions in their respective disciplines. Duplantis, who has broken the pole vault world record ten times since 2020 and won two consecutive Olympic golds, had never run the 100m in a competitive setting.
Despite his lack of experience in the event, Duplantis displayed remarkable speed and technique, getting off to a quick start and maintaining his lead throughout the race. He crossed the finish line a tenth of a second ahead of Warholm, who had been hot on his heels.
“I had him at the start for sure,” Duplantis said after the race. “I guess I had him the whole way. At 60 meters I was like ‘OK he has no shot’. Then when I got to about 80 meters, I started to feel a little heavy in my legs and was like ‘please don’t give up on me’.”
Duplantis’s performance was a testament to his exceptional athleticism and versatility. While he is known for his incredible height and pole vaulting skills, he also possesses impressive speed and acceleration.
The exhibition duel was a unique and entertaining event that showcased the talents of two of the world’s best athletes. It also highlighted the growing trend of cross-discipline competitions, where athletes from different sports compete against each other in different events.
