The 400m hurdles specialist and the undisputed king of the pole vault will face off in a sprint in Zurich on Wednesday.
Scandinavian athletics kings, pole vault world record holder Mondo Duplantis and 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm, will face off in Zurich on Wednesday in the 100m after both bet they could beat the other over the distance.
“I’m not nervous but I feel it coming, and I’m less confident for this race than when I pole vault.”Duplantis conceded at a press conference on Tuesday, while Warholm admitted that there was “a bit of tension around this race”.
Organised on Wednesday evening in Zurich by their joint sponsors, on the eve of the Diamond League meeting, the confrontation between the 24-year-old Swedish pole vaulter and the 28-year-old Norwegian hurdler, both ultra-competitive, has excited the fans who are having fun predicting the name of the winner of this improbable duel.
On paper, advantage to Karsten Warholm, accustomed to starting in starting blocks and who has a slightly faster record than Armand Duplantis in the 100 m (10.49 in 2017 against 10.57 in 2018). But others highlight the remarkable speed qualities of Duplantis, much faster than his competitors when he has a pole in his hand.
It all started in 2023 at the Monaco meeting, when Duplantis told Warholm that he thought he could beat him over 100m and suggested they take part in a race. “I would love to”Warholm had replied before shaking the hand of his future opponent.
“For me it was just ‘shit talk’, but I saw the track today and I’m starting to realize it.”Duplantis said.
The young Swede, in top form after his second Olympic title and after having improved the world record for the tenth time (6.26m) at the end of August, took the challenge seriously, training for the starts with the American Fred Kerley, bronze medallist in the 100m in Paris.
“Since the Olympics, I haven’t touched a pole except for competitions. I’ve only done ‘starts’, only ‘starts’.”he said.
After seeing Duplantis in action, Kerley said he was betting on him while track legend Michael Johnson is betting on Karsten Warholm.
The race is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich. A secret prize is reserved for the winner and a pledge. “that will hurt” is planned for the loser the next day.
