Why Mondo Duplantis’ 8X World Record Is Highlighted as a “Problem” for Track and Field? Sport Legend Explains

A few days ago, Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, has etched history by shattering his own world record with a 6.24-meter leap at the first Diamond League meeting of the season. He was the only man to clear six meters at the Egret Stadium, However, his victory, breaking his own world record eight times, paints a different picture in the pole vault world. Surprisingly, this was recently tagged as “Problem” in a social media post.

On 26th April 2024, Travis Miller took a clip from the words 24-year-old Duplantis said, It’s been pretty chill. Nothing too much out of the ordinary” and  added a nonchalant comment stating, “Only Mondo Duplantis can be so casual about breaking a world record(laughing emoji).” Reposting the same tweet, Olympic Gold medalist & hall of fame, Michael Johnson echoed Miller’s sentiment, expressing concern over the excessive attention given to world record-breakers.

He writes, “This is a problem for pole vault. WRs get attention because they’re usually special. The guy breaking them doesn’t make it feel special. Competition gets attention. He has no competition. The problem IS NOT HIS FAULT, but it’s a problem.” Though he didn’t call this a Swede athlete vault since he is doing his best every single year, he was concerned about the unfairness it had in track and field for intense competition.

Following this, Michael Johnson is constantly promoting track and field world with various ways, via being active on socials for new updates or collaboration. Great news came a month ago when four-time Olympic champion Johnson, joined hands with Winners Alliance

Michael Johnson in new partnership with track and field world

Winners Alliance is spearheading a revolutionary initiative to reignite interest in track and field. Their partnership aims to launch a professional track and field league, set to debut in 2025, which promises to captivate both existing fans and newcomers alike. Taking to his Instagram, Johnson showed, “I’ve teamed up with some great partners, and together we’re making the biggest investment ever into professional track and field to build a professional, truly fan-focused league that unlocks commercial value for the best track and field athletes in the world.”

Johnson, a passionate advocate for the sport, is leading discussions with potential media partners, sponsors, and investors to ensure its success. Through this league, Johnson and Winners Alliance seeks to place athletes front and center, echoing successful models from other sports like the NBA and NFL. Are you excited to see how legend brings a difference post-retirement with the aid of collaboration?