Eugene. He’s here to win the World Cup and break world records.
But if Mundo Duplantis jumps more than six meters in the final, he could equal Sergey Bubka in another category.
– It might mean a lot, but it’s probably more special to Dad, he says.
Mundo Duplantis must have jumped to the highest level in history. But he still sees Serge Bubka As the best pole lifter of all time. 35 world records (17 outdoors and 18 indoors), an Olympic gold medal and six consecutive World Cup titles from 1983 to 1997 are good reasons for that.
But the Swedish star has already shown that he can jump higher, and on Sunday he can already touch the legend in another category: the number of competitions over six meters.
“icing on the cake”
Serge Bubka crossed the dream streak for the first time in 1985 and then crossed 44 again. Mundo, 22, is already there. His 6.16 on the field was the 44th competition and speaks volumes about the World Cup final being number 45.
– It means a lot, especially if you win, of course. It’s not really the right competition to think too much about, but if you jump six meters and win, that’s the icing on the cake. Bubka is the greatest of all, so it’s fun to compare him to him, says Duplantis.
For dad Greg, it’s very special. He competed against Sergey Bubka during his own career.
Roses are hard to smell
– It’s absolutely unbelievable, really. At the time, we never thought anyone could do that again. Now my son is the one doing it, it’s absolutely unbelievable.
He is only 22 years old…
– Yes, I would say that. He was there much earlier than Bubka. He will do so much more.
go for 100?
– Yes, most likely.
Do you stop and think about what he does sometimes?
Sometimes you do, but it’s hard to stop and smell the roses, as we say. We’re always on our way to the next thing, the next competition.
Mundo thinks the record means more to Greg.
– Maybe it’s more special for my dad because he competed against Bubka. Nice that his son can beat Bubka a little. It’s bad for him.
