Pole vault king Duplantis outsprints fastest hurdler Warholm in 100m race

Athletics - Diamond League - Zurich - Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland - September 4, 2024 Sweden's Armand Duplantis and Norway's Karsten Warholm in action during their 100m exhibition race REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Source: REUTERS

The world’s greatest pole vaulter, Armand Duplantis, and the fastest 400-metre hurdler, Karsten Warholm, went head-to-head in a 100-metre sprint exhibition race at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland on September 4.

In the much-anticipated square-off, Duplantis, Sweden’s Olympic pole vault champion, crossed the finish line in 10.37 seconds, against Norway’s Karsten Warholm, who clocked 10.47 seconds.

Both athletes set personal bests in the race, which could have qualified them for the preliminary rounds of the men’s 100m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

After securing the victory, 24-year-old Duplantis, who has broken the pole vault world record 10 times, expressed his excitement. "I was pretty fired up," said Duplantis.

The Olympic champion recently defended his title in Paris, clearing an incredible 6.25 metres to set a new world record, which he then improved to 6.26 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia last month.

Despite the intense buildup to the race, which featured competitive banter between the two, Warholm, 28, graciously acknowledged Duplantis’ win. "I gotta give it to Mondo, he beat me today fair and square," said the Norwegian, adding, "It was a great race, he was out of the blocks fast."

Warholm set the fastest-ever time of 45.94 seconds in the 400-metre hurdles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Before the Zurich showdown, Duplantis’ personal best in the 100 metres was 10.57 seconds, a record set back in 2018 during his high school days, while Warholm ran 10.49 seconds in 2017.

Both athletes will return to compete in their specialised events at the Diamond League meeting on September 5.

Edward Sakyi