• Armand Duplantis The new Icarus of the pole

The king of the heights who jumped with a broom as a child arrives in a

Fan Zone

in which there are no fans. All attractions are closed and most of the giant screens to follow the Games are off. Inside this huge enclosure in Tokyo Bay, there are hardly a few security guards who search the backpacks and do not let even a bottle of water pass from outside, complying with the protocols as if a Games had been held without a pandemic and the place was overflowing with fans.

In the

Fan Zone

, one of the few booths that are kept open is OMEGA, which occasionally invites some medalists to give interviews to a small group of journalists.

Against this background, a 21-year-old athlete with a father from Louisiana and a Swedish mother appears on the scene, who is the new Olympic champion in pole vault.

Everyone calls

Armand Duplantis

Mondo

and they say he is the new

Sergei Bubka

, the legendary Ukrainian jumper who achieved 35 records.

Duplantis confirmed his hegemony on Tuesday.

He had no problems or rivals to get the gold.

Although he left the Olympic Stadium with the thorn in that he had not been able to beat his own world record (6.18 meters).

Question.

It has become a ray of hope in a sport looking for its next superstar.

Do you consider yourself the best jumper in all history?

Answer.

I do not think about that.

Many people ask me that question.

It really is not like that.

Well I do not know.

I don't care much what they ask me.

I just want to be the best.

I want to do great things on the track, be a legend and entertain everyone with my jumps.

I don't care how they present me on television, what interests me is that they show my product.

I want people to see how the camera shakes when I jump.

I like the show.

It's very important.

For Duplantis there is no other spectacle like athletics in a Games.

You acknowledge that you would also like to train to compete in other disciplines.

He says he runs the 100 meters in 10.57 seconds.

"I like athletics because you can watch three or four different competitions at the same time in the stadium. It is something special. Many things happen at the same time. I guess television has to find a better way to capture all those moments so that the viewer don't miss a thing, "says the jumper.

Q.

Your parents are also in Tokyo.

You are one of the few athletes who have competed in front of your family.

Is that an advantage?

A.

My parents are my coaches.

The advantage is that I have the best coaches.

I have no privilege that the rest of the athletes do not have.

When I'm on the court, they speak to me as coaches and not as parents.

Duplantis answers EL MUNDO's questions while other Swedish journalists wait their turn.

He is the new idol in Sweden because he decided to represent that country and not the United States, which is where he was born and has lived his entire life.

But Duplantis is already one more in the Nordic nation: he is dating a Swedish model, his car is a Volvo and on his mobile playlist he listens to Scandinavian rap.

He even starts answering questions in Swedish.

At 17, he already jumped 5.90 meters in a competition in Austin.

When he came of age, he was European champion after exceeding 6.05 meters.

In 2020, he won all 17 competitions in which he participated and surpassed the marks of the legendary Bubka and the record holder in 6.16, the French

Renaud Lavillenie.

He likes to be reminded of his exploits.

He smiles, opens his arms as if he wanted to say something like "what am I going to do if I'm so good", but without saying it because they have already accused him of being arrogant after an interview.

This is the new golden boy of pole vault.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • sports

  • Athletics JJOO

  • HBPR

Tokyo OlympicsWhy does Tokyo's humid heat help sprinters go faster?

Tokyo OlympicsThe Italian Marcell Jacobs, new king of the 100 meters: his story is the story of his mother

Tokyo Games Ana Peleteiro, the sailor's granddaughter who did not want to be a dancer

See links of interest

  • Last News

  • Translator

  • Tokyo results

  • 2021 business calendar

  • Home THE WORLD TODAY

  • Master investigative journalism

  • United States - Australia, live

  • Spain - Denmark, live