Botswana sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo is among global athletics stars who have applauded Armand “Mondo” Duplantis following his jaw-dropping world record at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday, June 15.
Letsile Tebogo took to his Instagram story shortly after the event. He shared a salute emoji to show respect for Duplantis’ latest feat. The post was a reflection of the admiration felt across the track and field world.
Swedish pole vault superstar Duplantis sent the Olympic Stadium crowd into a frenzy when he soared over 6.28 metres. He broke his own world record for the 12th time. The 25-year-old cleared the bar on his first attempt, improving on his previous best of 6.27m set in Clermont-Ferrand in February.
After sealing the win with the record-breaking jump, Duplantis ripped off his shirt in celebration and sprinted down the runway in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
“It’s a magical feeling, it’s hard to explain,” said Duplantis. “I wanted this so bad. I wanted to do this in front of everybody here in Stockholm. It’ll be one of the greatest memories for me, I think, in my career.”
Norwegian hurdler and longtime friend Karsten Warholm was also among those who paid tribute to Duplantis’ performance.
“I was pretty certain that he really wanted to break the world record here,” Warholm said. “But world records don’t come on command. He showed up like he usually does, and I’m just very happy for him.”
Sprint legend Usain Bolt was also spotted with Duplantis at the meet. A photo of the two icons together quickly circulated online.
Duplantis’ victory in Stockholm marked his 37th in 41 Diamond League appearances and came just three days after another dominant showing in Oslo.
“I kept saying it was the only thing I was missing in the accolades to break a record in Sweden,” he said. “I’ve checked off pretty much everything now.”
