For Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, the only goal when he steps up to jump at his first Olympic Games in Tokyo is winning the gold medal.
The 21-year old Duplantis, a world silver medallist, already holds the world record after he cleared 6.17 metres at a World Athletics Indoor Tour meet in Torun, Poland, in February of 2020 and improved on it by one centimetre in Glasgow the same month.
He also boasts the highest outdoor pole vault when he soared 6.15m to win gold at the Rome Diamond League meeting in September last year.
At the Tokyo Olympics, due to start next Friday, Duplantis told reporters this week it was all about gold for him.
“Winning is the only goal,” he said. “In a dream of course world I’d like to go and break the world record and do something very legendary at the Games, but it’s my first Games and I just want to win, that’s really the only thing that’s on my mind right now.”
He will vie for gold against the likes of American Sam Kendricks, who retained his world title in Doha in 2019 and claimed Olympic bronze five years ago.
However, Duplantis heads to Japan in terrific form.
At this month’s Diamond League event in Stockholm, Duplantis put on a show, clearing 6.02m to win in a meet record. He even attempted 6.19m to try to break his world record as fans clapped him on but did not manage to clear that height.
Unlike in Stockholm, however, Duplantis must face competing without spectators in Japan.