Duplantis will not jump from the European stable championship.
Armand Duplantis aims for the summer season. PDO
Pole vault star Armand Duplantis, 23, will not participate in the European Athletics Championships in March, the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation SVT news.
The Swedish team will be officially announced on Wednesday, but national team leader Kajsa Bergqvist commented on the sad news beforehand.
– Since December, I’ve known that the EC halls are not a big priority for Armand. He has said that he focuses really strongly on the summer season. He left the door a little open, but now he has decided not to participate, Bergqvist said in a press release, according to SVT.
The disappointment is great both for Swedish athletics fans and for Bergqvist himself.
– He is our biggest star, who makes a big impression on people every time he competes. At the same time, however, I fully trust that he has planned things so that he will be at his best in the most important competitions.
Duplantis is the pole vault Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020 and the world champion from Eugene 2022. He holds the world record 621 in the sport.