The Move to Aid Duplantis: 'It's Not Like We're Trying to Cheat'

Armand Duplantis is chasing a world record at Stockholm Stadium. The organizers have a special tactic to assist the Swedish superstar.

• It's not like we're trying to cheat, says competition director Jan Kowalski.

Armand Duplantis has won everything, multiple times. He holds double Olympic golds, double World Championship golds, and eleven world records.

But there's one thing he lacks: a world record on Swedish soil.

The 25-year-old world star doesn't hide that this is the goal for Sunday's competition at the Bauhaus Gala at Stockholm Stadium.

He is in excellent form. At Bislett Stadium, he set a new arena record by 13 centimeters, clearing 6.15 meters in the Norwegian evening chill. The legend Renaud Lavillenie praised the Swede afterward.

• The runway at Bislett is quite slow, and it's hard to jump high here. So for Mondo to clear 6.15... he's in shape to jump at least ten centimeters higher in Stockholm. So it's anything but impossible for him to clear 6.28 as well.

Organizer's Move – To Help Mondo: 'Not Trying to Cheat'

The weather forecast for the competition is promising. The so-called 'matador heat' has swept over Sweden, with temperatures reaching 27-28 degrees in Stockholm on Sunday. Additionally, strong winds are not expected.

But the organizers are not content with just being blessed by the weather gods. They are employing their own tactic to maximize the chances of a world record.

In an interview with the radio channel Sportsnack, competition director Jan Kowalski reveals that they will set up a tarp over the Marathon Gate on the competition day.

• We do this to stop unnecessary wind from coming in. Otherwise, there can be crosswinds and a difficult side wind for the pole vaulters, which they don't want, he says in the program.

When Expressen meets him the day before the competition, he says it has been 'a known problem' for the pole vaulters.

Have they requested this?

• Well, this is largely driven by the stadium staff wanting to remove things that can disturb.

Is this okay within ethical boundaries, to help in this way as an organizer?

• I think one can discuss whether this is okay, but we're not trying to add wind or anything. It's not like we're trying to cheat. We want to remove things that disadvantage everyone.

Duplantis' Verdict on the Move

What does the main person himself say about this?

Armand Duplantis admits that it was his idea.

• Who else would have requested it? It's my home ground, so I know the track better than anyone and know all the pros and cons. I'm trying to do the best I can to make it as good as possible, he says.

• We're doing everything we can to block the wind because it's not good for us as pole vaulters.

There's a lot of talk about you setting a world record here, how is it for you?

• It's the same expectation I have, actually. It's what I want to do, and it's what I haven't succeeded in yet, to set a world record in Sweden. That's my goal for tomorrow.