What do you get when you put a brilliant pole vaulter against a 400m hurdles star? One of the most epic battles in track and field. Yes, you heard that right. Both the athletes headed over to Zurich to contest in the upcoming Diamond League. However, a lighthearted bet during a training session soon snowballed into an unconventional battle of the titles. While Mondo Duplantis runs with a pole in his hand, the other glides over several hurdles. How could they possibly compete in the 100m dash, you ask?

Well, they can, and they did. While none of the regular rules applied to this particular race, the stakes were still high as ever. Whoever lost would have to wear their opponent’s kit while they contest the next day. None of them wanted to lose. But unfortunately, it just wasn’t Karsten Warholm’s day today. The buildup for the race was insane, but in the blink of an eye, a winner had been declared—the Swedish had successfully defeated his foe.

Even though the Norwegian took the loss well, what came next had him nervous as ever. Mondo Duplantis had the honor of handing a Sweden singlet over, gleefully stating how good it felt. Letsrundotcom’s Jonathan Gault shared a snippet of their interaction on X. The 28-year-old would have to wear yellow and blue as he competes for a DL win. “Fu-k, fu-k, fu-k,” was all he could say.

After resetting the pole vault world record 10 times throughout his career, the Swede set another record on the tracks in the exhibition race on September 4. No one knew what to expect, but the 24-year-old somehow knew he had it in the bag. Fast off the blocks, the Olympian gained an early lead and held on to it till the end. With an impressive time of 10.37 seconds, he had shaved 0.2 seconds off his personal best from 2018. 

Karsten Warholm might not have won this battle, but he was just as impressive on the track. The 400m hurdles world record holder did his best to keep up with his competitor on the track. But he could only muster up a second-place finish with 10.47 seconds on the clock. However, all was not lost. The Norwegian had just clocked a new personal best. While they tried to catch their breath after the race, he walked over to Mondo, congratulating him on a well-deserved win. 

Mondo Duplantis vs. Karsten Warholm—who showed up to cheer them on?

Even though the two have never competitively run the 100m circuit before, they had some experience on the track. The Olympic pole vault champion had previously given it a go in high school, while the 2024 400m hurdles silver medalist tried it early in his professional career. But they’re both absolute beasts in their respective sports. Combined, the two have 11 world records and 4 Olympic medals. No one wanted to miss this unique event. As Karsten Warholm walked onto the track, his coach, Leif Olav Alnes, accompanied him. He sported his usual fit with “Fat By Choice” gracing the back, and Alnes added a ‘Viking’ headgear for the occasion.

However, it was Duplantis’ posse that grabbed eyeballs. Renaud Lavillenie, Letsile Tebego, Sha’Carri Richardson, Fred Kerley, and Vernon Norwood cheered him on as he made his way out. The 2024 100m Olympic bronze medalist even helped him prepare for the one-of-a-kind event. “That was something I needed, and it felt nice to have that,” the pole vaulter confessed. Sam Kendricks and Dina Asher-Smith were in the stands, ready to cheer them on. But now that the iconic race is done and dusted, will the 3x World Champion keep his word tomorrow?