Therefore, Duplantis chose to compete for Sweden

When Armand Duplantis set a world record on Saturday, Sweden cheered. The media coverage grew from a lone SVT reporter at the competition in Poland, to a large press boat that welcomed the record holder home with cheers at Skavsta Airport.

Armand Duplantis was celebrated as a blue-yellow hero - but in the US, where he was born, he is not an equally obvious star.

The New York Times published a longer article on the world record. But it was only the title and the introductory paragraph that was about the 6.17 jump itself. The rest of the text revolves around the fact that Mondo chooses to represent Sweden in the Olympics instead of the big athletics nation USA.

- Many will ask, "Why don't you compete for the United States?" But that's not important to him. The important thing is to jump high and raise the level of the sport, says American pole vault competitor and world champion Sam Kendricks to the magazine.

The Duplantis family has made no secret that the Swedish elections have been a strategic decision.

Mondo has dual citizenship since birth: Dad Greg is American, mother Helena Swedish. He has been practicing pole vault since the age of three, teased by his parents in an American environment - but today, as a representative of Sweden, can enjoy the benefits that come with a blue-yellow national team suit. Like dropping national competitions in fierce competition for the championships.

- He has got the best of two worlds. To grow up in an environment where he has completely devoted himself to what he loves. And since he has grown older he has been here (in Sweden) in the summers and belonged to a club and got the goodies from it, says Jonas Anshelm to SVT Sport.

He is a coach at Uppsala IF and recently completed a six-year career as the national team captain for the U23 national team in athletics. He is also a big reason why the world's best pole vaulters chose Sweden ahead of the US right now.

Ahead of the Youth World Cup in Colombia 2015, Jonas Anshelm persuaded dad Greg to come along as one of the national team leaders for the Swedish team. In addition, big brother Andreas Duplantis had already competed in pole vault for Sweden with positive experience.

Two factors that became crucial.

- Andreas lobbied for the Swedish national team, that it is caring and transparent with good leadership. That and that we included Greg in the squad made Mondo decide for Sweden.

In addition, Jonas Anshelm reveals, he managed to impress the Duplantis family through his good contacts with the Colombian Athletics Association.

- It can often be a problem when traveling with sticks. So before the World Cup in Colombia, I got a signature in advance from the Colombian sports minister. When Duplantis had problems at the airport, Greg presented the document and was allowed to pass without any problems. However, the American team's sticks did not appear. So they had to jump on borrowed sticks, it didn't go so well.

Do you think Armand Duplantis would have been just as good if you had grown up and trained in Sweden?

- Hard to say. In Sweden, training should be playful at a young age where you work a lot with the whole body. And that's really what the Duplantis family has done. They have followed our concept, the Swedish training theory with a lot of playfulness, says Jonas Anshelm, adding:

- But there are differences. In the US from high school and up, the school is the team. In Sweden, the club is the team. That means you have more resources in the US. In Sweden, it is generally true that you train broadly, even though you have talent within a specific branch. Ideally, one would like to provide more targeted training, but then many leaders are needed.

But despite Armand Duplanti's successful double life, the choice has come with a prize. When SVT Sport met Mondo after his breakthrough at the European Championships in 2018, he talked about negative reactions that were pouring in.

- I had to endure a lot of hate and hear things I had not expected from people. Many were angry because I was competing for Sweden. I guess they were Americans, but I didn't want to read everything. I don't want to read hate comments, Duplantis said then.

- I expect a backlash for the Olympics, but I have a hard time understanding it. He walks in his mother's footsteps, there should be nothing wrong with that, says dad Greg to the New York Times.

Jonas Anshelm describes the reactions in the US after the world record as "extremely ridiculous".

- Armand Duplantis is now a mega celebrity in Sweden, but in Layfayette where he grew up, hardly anyone knew who he was.

- Still, some talk about using the American school system, but how many non-Americans aren't at their university and college? In that case, it is a huge number of athletes who represent other countries that use the school system as well, on scholarships that would otherwise have gone to Americans.