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Pole Vaulter Mondo Duplantis and Hurdler Karsten Warholm Face off in Thrilling 100M Sprint Showdown

By Regina Sienra on September 6, 2024

During the Olympics, people said that it would be nice to see a regular person at the competitions, just to see how they would fare. And if not possible, it would be at least fun to watch competitors try their hands at other disciplines that aren't their expertise. While it's hard for the Olympics to make this happen, two medal-winning athletes pleased their fans by taking on a different challenge with quite fun results.

Olympic pole vault champion Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, from Sweden, and 400m hurdles world record holder Karsten Warholm, from Norway, are good friends, having been to several track and field championships. Both of them are set to compete in their respective disciplines at the Zurich Diamond League, an annual series of elite track and field competitions comprising 15 of the premier invitational track and field meets. Adding to the fun of the event, the pair were to run in a 100m exhibition race in Zurich.

In front of a crowd of their peers and fellow athletics stars, Duplantis and Warholm took to the track wearing boxing robes. The Swede quickly took a meter lead, which he would carry throughout the race. In the end, Duplantis clocked in 10.37 seconds, ahead of Warholm's 10.47 seconds.

“I'm pretty fired up,” said Duplantis, 24, after his victory. “How could I not be? I mean, come on, stop playing with me.” Meanwhile, Warholm praised the pole vaulter. “I gotta give it to Mondo, he beat me today fair and square,” the hurdler said. “It was a great race, he was out of the blocks fast.” Despite the loss, Warholm set a career best, beating his previous mark of 10.49 seconds, as did Duplantis, whose personal best was 10.57 seconds.

While it was only an exhibition race, there was one thing at stake. Due to him being the loser, Warholm has to wear a Swedish jersey during his 400m hurdles Diamond League race, which was presented to him by Duplantis after the race. “It's going to be the last time, for sure,” said Warholm.