Mundo Duplantis chose Sweden and within a few years had grown into one of the biggest and most popular athletes in the country.
But there is little concern ahead of the World Cup in the United States that he has chosen not to participate.
– Yes, we will see how they will be towards me. It will probably go well, Mundo says, but they may mock me.
Mondo has always had an American and Swedish passport and the opportunity to choose which country he would compete in.
That moment came when he was 15 years old and qualified for the Juniors Tournament in Cali, Colombia.
– It was a debate at home, but since I decided to compete for Sweden, I have never looked back or regretted it.
He was not even the first in the family to make this decision. His older brother Andreas who is six years old made the same choice when he was 16 and jumped to Sweden in both JEM and JVM.
But it never reached the same levels and did not create the same debate.
Discussing fraud in the United States
When Sportbladet met Mundo in a lengthy interview before the Diamond League gala in Oslo, he revealed strong reactions after the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last summer, when the debate erupted once again.
– Yes, there were many who thought that I should go home with gold to the United States and not to Sweden. But I try not to read too much on social media and feel very proud to compete for Sweden. But when I go back to the States, this is still the most common question.
Would it be special for you if the World Cup went to the United States for the first time?
No, to me Eugene and Oregon are not the same as Louisiana. It is almost like another country. I haven’t competed there much and I don’t feel comfortable in any way.
No, the truth is that Mundo saw herself slowly turning into more and more yellowish blue
Today, he’s as much a Stockholmer as he is in South America, and has an apartment in Kungsholmen in a city he loves.
– Yes, I’m starting to feel more and more like a Swede. I thrive in Stockholm. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, he says in an interview conducted entirely in Swedish.
Before the ceremony in Oslo, the Norwegian media were amazed at how well he spoke Swedish.
But it is not only Swedish at present.
– Yes, I was thinking about it this week, when a man entered the elevator before me. Go, I’m waiting for the next one, I said, because I was too tired to speak. Then I thought it was very Swedish and that it was starting to spread more and more. By no means would that ever happen at home in Louisiana, Mundo says.
He loves classic Swedish food
And on another level, his relationship with Sweden is in shambles at the moment.
– Yes, Skagenora. I love him. Mondo says I take it at least two days a week when I feel like I deserve it.
Tore Wretman’s old show debut has brought home more than any other Swedish classic with the Pole Star.
Although the original version is called Toast Skagen which is the mess itself and not the combination with butter fried bread that Mondo is referring to.
Now Swedish food is nothing new to him.
He has spent the summer in Sweden since childhood at the house of grandmother Ingrid and grandfather Lars-Ake in Avesta.
Meatballs, cabbage dolmens and even herring have been swallowed up over the years.
– But the sour herring… nä. It takes a lot of schnapps if it’s going to go downhill.
Mundo plays his last competition before the World Cup at his new home in Stockholm on Thursday, as a big poster name at the Bauhaus Gala.
He then opted out of the Swedish World Cup camp at Berkeley University outside San Francisco, to recharge at his home in Louisiana.
– Yes, I have Father Greg and Mother Helena there and I don’t have to sleep in a hotel bed. It would be perfect for me.
How many medals does Sweden get in the World Cup?
– I hope to get two gold medals. Danielle Stahl and I. Then Khadia Sania and Tobias Muntler have a chance to win a medal as well. He will most likely be fine.