The king of heights that jumped with a small broom arrives a fan Zone in which there is no fan. All attractions are closed and most giant screens to follow the games are off. Inside this huge enclosure in Tokyo Bay, there are hardly a few security vigilantes who register the backpacks and do not let even a bottle of water from the outside, fulfilling the protocols as if they had celebrated games without pandemic and the place was to overflow with amateurs.
In Fan Zone, one of the few booths remaining open is that of Omega, which invites some medalists from time to time to interview a small group of journalists. With this panorama an athlete of 21 years appears on stage, with the father of Louisiana and Swedish Mother, which is the new pole jumping Olympic champion.
A Armand Duplantis Everybody calls him Mondo and they say about him who is the new Sergei Bubka, the mythical Ukrainian jumper who achieved 35 plusmarks. Duplantis confirmed on Tuesday the hegemony of him. He did not have problems or rivals to get gold. Although he left the Olympic Stadium with the nailed spine of not having 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. Are you considered the best jumper of the whole story?
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 do not 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 do not care how they introduce me on television, which interests me is that they show my product. I want people to see how the camera is stirred when I jump. I like the show. It's very important.
For Duplantis there is no other show as athletics in games. He recognizes that he would also like to train to compete in other disciplines. He says he runs the 100 meters in 10.57 seconds.
"Athletics I like because you can see three or four different competitions at the same time at the stadium, it's something special, many things happen at once. I guess television has to find a better way to capture all those moments for the viewer. Do not miss anything, "says the jumper.
Q. Your parents are also in Tokyo. You are one of the few athletes who have competed in front of their 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 they do not have the rest of the athletes. When I'm on the track, they talk to me as coaches and not as parents.
Duplantis answers the questions from the world while other Swedish journalists await 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 all his life. But Duplantis is already one more in the Nordic nation: He is coming out with a Swedish model, his car is a Volvo and his mobile playlist listens Scandinavian Rap. He until he is already thrown to answer questions in Swedish.
At 17, he already jumped 5.90 meters in a competition in Austin. When he fulfilled the age of majority, he was European champion after exceeding 6.05 meters. In 2020, he won the 17 competitions in which he participated and exceeded the brands of the legendary Bubka and from the record of the record in 6.16, French Renaud Lavillenie.
He likes to be reminded him of his feats. He smiles, opens his arms as if he wanted to say something like "what I'm going to do if I'm so good", but without saying it because they have already been accused of superb after some interview. This is the new golden jumping boy with pole.
Date Of Update: 05 August 2021, 20:27
