Norwegian pole vault star, Sondre Guttormsen is banking on the energy of a packed home crowd as he prepares to take on the world’s best at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo on Thursday.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference, Guttormsen emphasized the impact of crowd support on his performances.
“It is always great seeing the crowd full in the field, looking going… it really gives you energy,” said the 25-year-old. “I have had some good performances and yeah, it gives morale and thrive to do well.”
However, Guttormsen missed recent events in China due to a minor leg injury, returns in time for the Bislett Games, where he’ll face arguably the toughest pole vault lineup of the season.
Formidable Lineup
The line up is headlined by world record holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden. Duplantis remains untouchable at the top of the sport. He enters Oslo as the man to beat, having broken his own world record again this year with a 6.27m clearance. He was recently crowned Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. The Swede now owns the eleven highest jumps in pole vault history. He gradually raising the world record from 6.17 to 6.27 meters.
Meanwhile, all eyes in Norway will be on Guttormsen, who boasts a personal best of 6.00m. He cleared in Albuquerque in 2023. The local hero is one of only four men in the Oslo field to have reached that prestigious mark, alongside Duplantis, American Sam Kendricks (PB: 6.06m), and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, who recently cleared 6.01m in Shanghai and attempted an ambitious 6.11.
Also in the mix is Menno Vloon of the Netherlands. He is fresh off a European indoor title. Australia’s Kurtis Marschall is also imcluded. They both hunt to join the exclusive 6.00m club, currently capped at just 29 athletes in history.
Furthermore, adding to the home interest is Sondre’s younger brother Simen Guttormsen. He enters with a personal best of 5.72m. The 22-year-old is chasing the 5.82m standard needed to qualify for this year’s World Championships in Tokyo.
With Bislett Stadion expected to be buzzing, Sondre Guttormsen hopes the electric atmosphere will be just what he needs to challenge the sport’s elite.
“It gives you morale and thrive,” he reiterated. “You want to do well when it matters.”
