World Athletics Championship 2022: Armand Duplantis heads stellar cast at USA's first worlds

Heading into a new flavour, Mondo Duplantis is more focused than e'er.

Quite literally; the Olympic pole vault champion and world record-holder recently underwent light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation center surgery. Information technology was a quick and painless procedure, but ane which he hopes could help him attain his goal of winning ii global titles in 2022 and improving upon his own world record.

Up until now, Duplantis had worn contact lenses when vaulting, only there was always a worry that he'd have a problem with them in the middle of an important contest. And trying to bound without wearing lenses was out of the question – his vision would simply exist besides blurry.

Now, though, he won't have that concern. "The morn later on the procedure, it felt like I woke upwardly to a new earth," Duplantis told Aftonbladet. "Everything is so easy now, it's simply a relief."

It'south not the only big change in the Olympic champion'south life in recent weeks. Simply last weekend, Duplantis moved into a new apartment on Kungsholmen in Stockholm, giving him a permanent base of operations in Sweden in what Duplantis describes as "i of the nigh beautiful cities in the globe".

Aside from the increased independence, information technology likewise means he'll have easier admission to European competitions – the first of which is due to be the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on 28 January. He volition also compete in Birmingham on xix February, but in between the two World Indoor Tour Gold meetings he volition compete on home turf in Uppsala on 9 Feb.

He'll face tough opposition there as he'll take on the two men who joined him on the podium at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 – 2-time earth champion Sam Kendricks and Poland's Piotr Lisek – every bit well every bit Olympic argent medallist Chris Nilsen, six-metre vaulter KC Lightfoot, and Olympic fourth-place finisher Emmanouil Karalis. Not surprisingly, the competition has been the talk of the boondocks.

"Information technology's great that there'south such large interest in the event," Duplantis said in a contempo video phone call with Swedish media. "I'd similar to give back to the audition in Uppsala, as I've lived and trained in that location in recent years. And it feels even more than important to me now that I'yard living in Sweden."

It will also be an important stepping stone on his way to his first large goal of the year: the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22.

Duplantis competed at the last edition of the championships in 2018, finishing seventh with five.70m, aged but eighteen at the fourth dimension. Since so, of course, he has progressed to get the best pole vaulter in the world, twice breaking the world record in 2020 with 6.17m and 6.18m, and landing Olympic aureate in Tokyo final year with half dozen.02m.

Now that he has ane major senior title in his collection, he wants to win more than.

"The goal is to win everything and and then hopefully continue to do and so in the future," said Duplantis, who has donated the pair of pastel-xanthous spikes he wore when setting his 6.18m world record to the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) . "I want to be the greatest pole vaulter of all time – that's what gives me my motivation.

"My grooming has gone well," he added. "I'thou both stronger and faster. And I have not had any setbacks with injuries or illnesses. This is the near important thing during the grooming period. I've been a tiny bit sore sometimes, but that'south all role and package of pole vault."

Concluding year Duplantis set world-leading marks of 6.10m indoors and outdoors. His earth-leading indoor vault came in Belgrade, the city that volition host this year's World Indoor Championships. Just the 22-year-old hopes to do amend this year than simply improving on his own Serbian all-comers' mark.

"I will endeavor for the world record every time I become the risk," said Duplantis, who attempted a world tape meridian of half-dozen.19m at 12 of his competitions in 2021. "I'm in practiced shape, then it feels similar it could come up at whatever time. It'south time for me to take vi.19m, simply 6.20m feels like a bigger goal. It sounds nicer, too.

"It'southward easier to spring indoors, that's but how it is," he added. "The weather are basically the same for every competition and there's no wind to take into account, and so it'southward easier to get into a adept rhythm throughout the indoor season."

But Duplantis is looking beyond his indoor campaign and has clear goals for the outdoor season.

"I've never won the Earth Championships, so that's my biggest goal for 2022," he said.

Although he has competed at Eugene's Hayward Field a couple of times already on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, it'due south i of the few iconic athletics venues at which he has non withal been victorious.

Not that he would view that as being a barrier to his potential success; he dominated the pole vault in 2021 and notched up 15 victories and 14 six-metre clearances between January and September last twelvemonth. No other vaulter in history – non even the legendary Sergey Bubka – has achieved then many half-dozen-metre vaults in a single season.

And at present a stronger, fitter and – literally – more focused Duplantis looks gear up to do even greater things in 2022.

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Source: https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/world-athletics-indoor-championships-7138985/news/feature/mondo-duplantis-indoor-belgrade-22-pole-vault

Posted by: wolframfooke1978.blogspot.com

Share this post