Armand Duplantis enjoys competing in the Sweden match, but considers the timing difficult for world stars.
Pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis competed in the Sweden match on Sunday for the first time since 2019.
The superstar shared his understanding that not all the top names participated in the national match. Finland Viivi Lehikoinen and Heta Tuuri were in the Chinese Diamond League.
– I don’t want to bark at those who are not here. I also understand those who are absent, because this is not easy, Duplantis began.
– The international match is at the most difficult and tightest time of the season. Right at the end of the season, the biggest competitions are left, and Finnkampen is between them, the star continued.
Armand Duplantis feels that fitting a national match into the calendar is difficult. Jussi Saarinen
Duplantis was present at the national match last year, but did not compete. The match just happened to be between two Diamond League competitions.
On Sunday, the Swedish-American star won at Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium with a tame score of 560. The runners-up Juho Alasaari and Urho Kujanpää exceeded 548.
– The race was ok. The body was not touched, which was of course good. It was great to be here, Duplantis praised.
The superstar crossed 560 in his first. He then moved on to pursue the national match record, i.e. the height of 601.
The Swedish media was horrified at how much Duplantis raised the bar at once.
– I couldn’t do anything else. I don’t know how much was left in the body, “Mondo” laughed.
– I had no plan for the race. I would have liked more than six meters, but the wind didn’t help.
Kudos to the match
Duplantis set the bar high. Jussi Saarinen
Last week in Budapest, Duplantis won the second world championship of his career with a score of 610. On Thursday of this week, he competed in the Zurich Diamond League, where 600 was enough for first place.
– The feeling was better than in Zurich right after the World Championships, he analyzed the mood of the international match.
The star likes the national match.
– It was great to come here to compete. This is indeed more than a normal competition. You don’t get this kind of team feeling from other competitions. They support each other here.
Duplantis’ season culminates in the Diamond League. The Brussels and Eugene competitions are still ahead.
The ME named after the star is 621 and the best result of the season is 612.
The national match record of 601 was not exceeded. Jussi Saarinen