It’s been a little over a week, but Mondo Duplantis‘ 100m heroics from the Zurich Diamond League continue to be the talk of the town. More than settling scores, the 100-meter sprint challenge seemed to give the pole vaulter an edge over the 400m hurdler, Karsten Warholm. And of course— the bragging rights.

Meters away from the finish line, Duplantis knew his name was written all over this race. Thus, as 2600 spectators watched him smoke his opponent in 10.37s, he rubbed his win in with a cold stare. But even with the victory behind him, Duplantis isn’t done with the idea of sprint showdowns. He’s hinted these little detours could be a “sprinkling” of fun on the track circuit. Now, he’s throwing out the wild suggestion of making these challenges a regular thing. This time though, he’s not lacing up his spikes—he’s ready to sit back and watch two ace sprinters go at it!

Mondo Duplantis wishes to watch Noah Lyles vs Letsile Tebogo

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per Athletics Weekly, Mondo Duplantis’ thoughts post the epic DL race seem equally as confident as his before the event. Disclosing what he felt at the moment he crossed Karsten Warholm at the finish line, the pole vault world record holder mentioned, “Being inside of the whole thing, I thought it was quite cool, fun and something a little bit fresh.” For him, stomping down the tracks is usually part of a brief run-up, before he leaps meters high over the horizontal bar. But this 100-meter dash, one that he entered clad in a robe, was different. The hype, the energy—it perhaps added an element of fun.

Do you think Mondo Duplantis would be done after his win? Well, he isn’t moving on, for he now hopes to see others in the track and field community go head-on in such battles too. “If there was one-versus-one with Noah [Lyles], and Letsile [Tebogo] over 200m, I’d watch for example,” he said. Playing with the fire? Well, hardly. His rationale behind this seems—that taking the bull by the horns once in a while can be adventurous. He adds, “I think the concept is kind of fun and can be a sprinkling every once in a while.”

Duplantis’ idea to throw a wrench in the works and make the Noah-Letsile rivalry even more intense can have the track world on the edge of its seat. Why not? One is the 200-meter Olympic champion, and the other is the World title holder and current lead in the same category. And the last time the two met, the clash was barely at par. Noah Lyles competed with COVID-19 and was not in 100 percent form health-wise. Thus now, while Mondo himself seems done for a while, turning spectator for a clash that would possibly be the biggest one of the year would be nothing short of exciting for him.

The 100-meter sprint took a lot, per Mondo Duplantis

Sure, it’s ‘just’ 100 meters, but even short sprints like this push athletes to their absolute limits. One slip-up can have serious consequences—just ask Karsten Warholm, who ended up with a hamstring niggle that forced him to pull out of his signature 400m hurdles in Zurich. And even for Mondo Duplantis, the aftermath of his big win was a little bittersweet.

While the victory was sweet, the Swede admitted it left him feeling less than 100%. That cold, damp Zurich evening might’ve been a mental boost, but physically? He was wrecked. So much so that he’s not keen on another challenge anytime soon. In fact, when asked about going head-to-head with 400m hurdles star Femke Bol, he confessed, “I really do not, honestly. It took a lot more out of me that I thought it would,” especially with the Brussels Diamond League finale right around the corner.

But let’s be real—sprint clashes have become a hot way to settle ‘who’s the best’ on the track. Remember when Tyreek Hill and Noah Lyles teased us with a sprint-off? Or when Mondo dared to throw down the gauntlet to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce? And now there’s talk of a Noah Lyles vs. Letsile Tebogo showdown. Could sprint showdowns become a tradition in track and field? What do you think? Share your thoughts below!