The professional track and field season has come to a close, but one of the most captivating moments of the year didn’t occur at the Paris Olympics—it took place in Zurich. What made this moment extraordinary wasn’t a full track lineup but a 100-meter dash featuring just two athletes. And neither of them were regular sprinters.

Two Unlikely Competitors: Warholm vs. Duplantis

The race in Zurich saw Karsten Warholm of Norway, the world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, line up against Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, the Swedish pole vaulting sensation. While neither athlete specializes in the 100-meter dash, their presence on the starting line generated excitement. Mondo, already a towering figure in athletics, is much more than just a world record holder in the pole vault. In fact, he’s set that record an astonishing nine times, a feat nearly unheard of in track and field. 

The anticipation felt more like a heavyweight boxing match than a typical sprint. And in the end, it was Mondo who took the win, crossing the finish line in 10.37 seconds. This race reaffirmed something long suspected: Mondo Duplantis isn’t just the greatest pole vaulter the world has ever seen—he’s also one of the fastest sprinters we never got to witness in full form.

The Sprinting Power Behind the Pole Vault

At just 24 years old, Duplantis has shattered his own world record five more times than Usain Bolt ever did in the 100 meters. His ability to repeatedly break records stems from a unique talent that goes beyond flawless technique—it’s his sprint speed.

Mondo has trained as a vaulter for much of his life, but his success isn’t solely due to vaulting technique. It’s his speed down the runway that allows him to generate the power needed to soar higher than anyone else. This is where his true sprinting potential becomes evident. If Duplantis had chosen to pursue sprinting instead of pole vaulting, he could have been among the world’s elite sprinters. His speed is the X-factor that sets him apart from every other vaulter today.

A Track and Field Phenomenon: More Than Just a Vaulter

To fully understand Mondo’s athletic prowess, it’s important to look back at his high school career in the U.S. Competing for a high school in Louisiana, he ran the 100-meter dash twice during his senior year. In his first attempt, he clocked in at 10.57 seconds—a time that could have earned him a collegiate track scholarship as a sprinter. In addition to sprinting, Duplantis also tried his hand at the long jump, where he jumped 23 feet, 5 ½ inches, coming just an inch shy of being a four-star level athlete in that event.

These performances demonstrate one thing: Mondo Duplantis isn’t just a pole vaulter. He is a complete track and field athlete who could dominate in multiple events. Yet, he chose to focus on the pole vault, and in doing so, he became untouchable.

The Unmatched Dominance of Duplantis

 Duplantis’ current world record in the pole vault stands at 6.25 meters (20 feet 6 ¼ inches). The last person to hold the world record before Mondo did so in 2014, but the gap between their performances is massive. When compared to Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record in the 100 meters, the Usain Bolt Test (which compares how a world record performance would fare against current competition) shows that Bolt outclassed his Olympic competitors by 2.2%. In contrast, Duplantis is outperforming the current field of pole vaulters by a staggering 4.5%, doubling the margin by which Bolt beat his contemporaries.

Since 2019, Duplantis hasn’t lost a pole vault championship at any level. That year, as a college freshman, he won silver at the World Championships, the only time he failed to secure gold in recent memory. The conversation around his status as the greatest pole vaulter of all time is already settled. The only question left is why he is so much better than everyone else—and the answer lies in his speed.

The Untapped Sprinting Potential

Duplantis’ case is fascinating not just because of his pole vaulting achievements but because of the athletic versatility he demonstrated in high school. Had he chosen to focus on sprinting, he likely would have been a serious competitor in that realm too. His 100-meter dash times from high school—despite minimal training in the event—suggest that with proper focus, he could have been a contender to break 10 seconds. That time might not be enough to win Olympic gold, but it would certainly place him among the world’s top sprinters.

It’s clear that Mondo’s sprinting ability is what makes him such a dominant vaulter. No one else can match his speed down the runway, and that is the key reason why no one can get close to him in the pole vault. While we may never see him train seriously for the 100 meters, we can confidently say that Duplantis is one of the fastest sprinters the world never truly got to see.

A Legacy of Choosing the Road Less Traveled

Mondo Duplantis comes from an athletic family—his father was a top pole vaulter, and one of his brothers was also a world-class vaulter, while another went on to excel in baseball. Though Duplantis chose to focus on the pole vault, his versatility as an athlete has always been apparent.

In today’s world of track and field, it’s rare to find someone with the talent to excel across multiple events. Most athletes specialize early, focusing on the one event where they feel they have the best chance to succeed. Mondo could have chosen sprinting or long jumping, but his decision to pursue the pole vault allowed him to dominate in an event with fewer challengers.

Conclusion: The Sprinter Disguised as a Vaulter

Mondo Duplantis is more than just the greatest pole vaulter in history. He is a track and field phenomenon—a sprinter hidden in plain sight. His unmatched speed gives him the edge no other vaulter can replicate, and his decision to focus on the vault has made him untouchable in the event. 

Had he chosen to sprint, we may have seen him on the Olympic stage, competing in the 100-meter finals. But his legacy in the pole vault is already cemented, and his speed is the secret behind it all. As we watch Duplantis continue to break records, one thing is clear: he’s not just the greatest vaulter the world has ever seen—he’s also the fastest sprinter we never got to see.

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