Armand Duplantis has taken the pole jumping world by storm in recent seasons. Not least thanks to the European Championship gold in Berlin, almost exactly a year ago. A jump of six meters was required to secure a medal. Then the young Swedish American followed by just 6,05 and took the gold.

This means that "Mondo" is one of the largest Swedish medal jumps for the Doha World Championships in September-October. And the feeling for that championship is, if possible, even better than before the European Championships.

- I'm definitely better than I was at this time last year. Everything is a little better and I have put a bunch of personal best on training, he says.

- I can jump higher now than I did last year.

And then you jumped 6.05 anyway?

- Yes, but I don't think about 6.05 as much, even though everyone asks about it every day.

- If I win the World Cup at 5.50 then I will party with the gold medal around the neck, I do not care what I hope. But of course it will not suffice with 5.50.

Hard competition

The competition in the men's pole vault is fierce for Doha. Armand Duplantis has jumped 6.00 this year, which is only enough to be world wide right now. Above him on the list is Polio Piotr Lisek at 6.02 and American Sam Kendricks who jumped 6.06 and heels are among others Brazilian Thiago Braz and French veteran Renaud Lavillenie.

- It will probably be one of the best competitions in the entire World Cup. But I'm ready for the fool, Duplantis says.

The Swedish pole vault star has had a couple of weeks of competition breaks, to build up the body in view of the unusually late championship. But now some competitions are waiting on Swedish soil, first Friday night's athletics gala in Gothenburg and then Finnkampen in Stockholm next weekend.

Want to create legends

But it's hard to completely let go of the World Cup, he admits. The goal? A medal of course.

- Anything but a medal would be a little disappointing. I think I have the capacity and when it comes to championships you want to collect as many medals as possible, because that's where the legends are created, ”says Mondo.