In the world of men’s pole vaulting, Mondo Duplantis is his own toughest rival. The 2024 Paris Olympics turned into yet another record-breaking show for Mondo, where he shattered the pole vault world record for the ninth time in his career! On August 5, 2024, at the Stade de France, with Sam Kendricks bowing out at 5.95 meters, Mondo cleared 6.00 meters with ease. He then soared to 6.10 meters, smashing the Olympic record set by Thiago Braz back in 2016. But he didn’t stop there. On his third attempt at 6.25 meters, he nailed it, setting a new world record and retaining his Olympic title from Tokyo 2021. And guess who’s cheering him on? None other than Sha’Carri Richardson!

On August 7, 2024, Sha’Carri, the newly crowned 2024 Olympic silver medalist in the women’s 100-meter, took to her Instagram stories, re-posting Mondo’s emotional victory picture from the Stade de France. She captioned it, “It’s your world 🛫🛬.” This isn’t the first time Sha’Carri Richardson has shown her support for the pole vaulting phenom, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis. When Mondo snagged yet another world indoor title in Glasgow earlier this year, clearing 6.05 meters, Sha’Carri was right there cheering him on. She posted on Instagram, “It’s not a plane, ITS MONDOOO.”

Their friendship has been the talk of the track and field world since the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where Sha’Carri, a strong contender for Team USA, was spotted cheering on the Swedish phenom from the sidelines. Pouring her heart out for Mondo, Richardson told NBC, “Oh yes, I saw my Mondo! He’s one of my favorite people in life.” So how did this sweet friendship start?

Tigers to global stars, Sha’Carri Richardson and Mondo Duplantis’s friendship is goals!

Sha’Carri Richardson and Mondo Duplantis first crossed paths at Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2018, and it didn’t take long for them to form a close bond as teammates and friends. Both excelled in their respective events—Richardson winning the Bowerman Trophy in 2019 and Duplantis being a finalist for the same award that year. After her win, she posted a heartfelt message with a photo of them, writing, “Mondo the only Goat I see!!!”

Their time at LSU was transformative, shaping their careers and cementing their friendship. Mondo fondly recalled their college days, saying, “Everything just goes so fast because it feels like just yesterday we were teenagers, we were just kids and we were Freshmen in college and we were just doing Freshman in college things, just cutting up and being stupid.”

In June 2024, Duplantis shared that it’s incredible and somewhat surreal to look back at their journey from being college athletes at LSU to becoming world champions. “Because I think both of us, we knew we were capable of these kinds of things,” Mondo said. “But, you know, in sports, not everything pans out the way that you think it is going to.” But that’s not all!

Did you know that this camaraderie even sparked the idea of a 100-meter showdown between them? A year ago, Olympic legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce playfully challenged Mondo Duplantis to a 100-meter race. Duplantis jokingly fired back with, “I would beat you,” to which Fraser-Pryce quipped, “OK, survey says that’s a lie.” While that race never happened, Duplantis seemed even more excited about the idea of racing his friend Sha’Carri Richardson.

Mondo said, “We’re actually quite good friends. That could actually be really cool.” And while Richardson is the favorite in the 100-meter sprint, she humbly acknowledged Duplantis’s talent, saying, “He’s on a whole different level, OK.” With Sha’Carri Richardson acing her comeback story in 2021 and making it to the Paris Olympics stage, Mondo was in awe of her journey. He shared, “I’m so proud of her. It’s such a weird thing to think where we were then, not even just as athletes, [but] as people, too. And then to see where we are now, it’s super special.”

Seeing the sweet friendship between Sha’Carri Richardson and Mondo Duplantis stay strong, even while they compete for different nations and reach the pinnacle of their careers, is truly inspiring. What are your thoughts on this incredible camaraderie? Share in the comments below!