Why Does Mondo Duplantis Vault for Sweden Instead of the USA? Here’s All You Need to Know

Mondo DuPlantis vaults for Sweden due to his Swedish mother and the strong support from the athletes of the country, despite his American roots.

By Debmallya Chakraborty

Updated on Aug 06, 2024 | 04:00 PM IST | 75.4K

Mondo DuPlantis

Mondo DuPlantis has broken yet another world record. The 24-year-old pole vaulter jumped an incredible 6.25 meters yesterday to clinch Olympic gold for Sweden. Having already clinched his maiden Olympic gold in Tokyo, DuPlantis put the icing on the cake in Paris by securing his second. With the 6.25-meter jump on Monday, DuPlantis broke the world record for the ninth time! The previous world record (6.24 m) was set by him at the Xiamen Diamond League in April 2024.

With DuPlantis winning the gold by a significant margin, Sam Kendricks of the US took home the silver with a 5.95-meter vault. Emmanouil Karalis from Greece jumped 5.90 m to secure the bronze. Well, over the years, Mondo DuPlantis has become one of the icons of the pole vaulting discipline. Ranked the world's number 1 in 2023, DuPlantis’ list of accolades is startling. Apart from the 2 Olympic gold medals, DuPlantis also boasts four World Championship golds, 3 Diamond League golds, and 4 European Championship golds.

However, there is one interesting aspect of Mondo DuPlantis that has the internet wondering. Although DuPlantis represents Sweden internationally, the pole vaulter is originally from the United States of America.

So why does he represent Sweden? Mondo DuPlantis was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He was born to Helena and Greg, who were both into sports in their prime. His father, Greg, was an American pole vaulter. DuPlantis got his Swedish connection from his mother Helena, who was a Swedish volleyball player and a heptathlete.

Mondo DuPlantis joined LSU on the same day as Sha’Carri Richardson. He was an instant hit at the NCAA level. It was at this moment that the Swedish youth coach, Jonas Anshelm, intervened. Looking at DuPlantis’ incredible jumps, he made up his mind to make DuPlantis represent Sweden. Initially, when Anshelm dialed his father, DuPlantis was adamant about representing the United States of America.

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But Anshelm did not give up. He said, “He wanted to represent the U.S. As a Swede, and maybe a bit stubborn and stupid, I thought, 'I may give him another call'" The Swedish Youth coach made a further attempt, this time with the offer of providing Mondo DuPlantis’ father with the position of Swedish head coach. This became a deciding factor as Mondo DuPlantis agreed to represent the Scandinavian nation. However, DuPlantis has not forgotten his roots, as he values America in the same manner as Sweden. The pole vaulter was seen stopping for the US National Anthem in Paris.

Well, as it turns out, the decision was the right one, as Mondo DuPlantis is creating magic with his pole. And while he shines brightly with his glittering accomplishments, the five-star pole vaulter is making not only Sweden, but the entire athletic world luminate with his glory.

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