Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis announced himself to the world at his debut European Athletics Championships eight years ago.
At Berlin 2018, the prospect became a prodigy when he set a world U20 record of 6.05m to take gold.
Eight years on, life has changed a lot for Mondo ahead of the European Championships of Birmingham 2026, where he will compete for his fourth consecutive title.
This time around, he’s one of athletics’ biggest superstars. There’s a ring around his finger. There’s a new place to call home.
What does home mean to Mondo, who grew up in Louisiana in the United States to a Swedish mother and U.S. father?
“It’s family,” the 26-year-old, who married partner Desiré Inglander and moved to Monaco together this year, told Olympics.com.
“It’s Desiré, and I think we can make a home out of anywhere.”
Duplantis looked at his ring finger before laughing: “I actually don’t really know if I’m even meant to wear the ring (when competing); I think I’m scratching it up. I just jump in it anywhere, and if I get some bruises, so be it.
“I feel really powerful with the ring on. I feel like I’m jumping for something a lot bigger than myself.”
From the 18-year-old that introduced himself to Berlin, the world has seen pole vault’s luminary grow up in real time, on and off the track.
“(This year), it’s been a very tough sacrifice in some ways. Monaco is amazing, we’ve settled in really quickly with the people the weather, the facilities. But we want to be as close to family as possible; that’s the most important thing to me.
“I can get really homesick. I’m trying to get my family over there as much as we possibly can. These decisions you have to think hard about, think deeply.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/mondo-duplantis-new-sense-of-home-jumping-for-something-bigger-than-myself
