Mondo Duplantis is not slowing down anytime soon. Just two months ago, the two-time Olympic champion broke the men’s pole vault world record for the 15th time at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala. Yet even after reaching this mark, the 26-year-old does not seem satisfied. Instead, he is already focused on opening his outdoor season at the Herculis meeting at Stade Louis II in Monaco. But before taking his first jump, he had already made his intention clear with eyes on a lucrative reward as well.

“I’m pleased to have set the stadium record last year (6.05m),” he shared with L’Équipe. Back in 2025, at the appearance in Monaco, he won the event and even attempted 6.29m, but was not able to clear it. Now,  as he is heading into 2026, his focus feels sharper than ever. As he says, “But I think we can push it further this year. I want to jump high, especially in front of my new home crowd. I want to break the world record here. That’s my mindset going into this meeting.”

If he wins and breaks the world record in Monaco, the rewards could be huge! After all, a Diamond+ event winner can receive around $20,000 in prize money, while world record bonuses at Diamond League meets can add another $50,000. That means Duplantis could potentially earn $70,000 in a single night.

But in some cases, the bonuses can rise even higher. As we saw in the 2025 World Championships, he received a $100,000 world record bonus. The prize money adds motivation to better his record, especially in Monaco.

Recently, Duplantis has made Monaco his base, moving closer to Stade Louis II after previously splitting time between Stockholm, Sweden, and Lafayette, Louisiana. The change has made the meeting feel different for him. “I thought it would be really strange for the Herculis meeting to take place and for me not to participate, since I live just around the corner. Something had to be done so I could jump here,” he said.

He added, “Now that I’m here, living here, training here, a world record here seems essential. It would be fantastic to achieve it. My mind is focused on that goal.” With that consistency and ambition, comparisons naturally come up with Sergey Bubka, who broke the men’s pole vault world record 35 times in his career. And now, it seems Duplantis is still building his story, but his numbers already stand out.

Since August 2023, he has won 38 straight games, including nine times the world record in that stretch. It is also interesting that Monaco has a history for him too. After all, he has always won that, but there is also one bad memory, as in 2023, he finished second with 5.72m.

“It’s not my best memory,” he admitted. “But that’s sport, and sometimes defeat happens. Last year, it partly increased my nerves. But it’s OK. It gives me extra motivation every time I compete here.”

Now, as he returns to Monaco, he will pursue new records. But Mondo Duplantis ultimate plan is the LA 28 Olympics.

The making of Mondo Duplantis’ biggest dream

Mondo Duplantis’s career already reads like history. After all, he has won two Olympic gold medals, first in Tokyo 2020 and then again in Paris 2024. Interestingly, he also holds the Olympic record after clearing 6.25m in Paris, and he has claimed multiple World Championship titles across indoor and outdoor stages. On top of that, he has pushed the men’s pole vault world record again and again, now up to 6.31m at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala 2026.

In fact, all 15 of his world records have followed a similar pattern, small 1cm jumps each time. Interestingly, before Duplantis, the benchmark stood at 6.16m, which was set by France’s Renaud Lavillenie in 2014. Since then, Duplantis has taken the event into a new phase, where he keeps raising the bar. But even with everything he has achieved, his ultimate goal is still ahead. The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games sit firmly in his mind.

“I do still have that confidence that going into (the 2028 Olympic Games) in LA, I’m going to be in even better shape. I can jump even higher,” he told CNN Sports. “I’m going to do something just like that, make a big splash, can maybe break a record again, and something like that.”

For Duplantis, the story is no longer just about records or medals. It is about how far he can still take the sport before he is done.