Armand “Mondo” Duplantis performing at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship was supposed to have all the limelight. However, middle-distance running rivals Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, standing next to each other, went viral instead.

During Mondo Duplantis’ performance of his song Gold, Kerr and Ingebrigtsen were spotted speaking to each other. Naturally, this caught the attention of many online as well as at the venue. Gold is the Championship’s anthem, so it was an important moment for players and viewers alike.

“You were supposed to help me sing bro, not have a heart to heart during it,” Duplantis hilariously commented in response.

After the moment went viral, Jakob Ingebrigtsen posted a picture of himself on which Duplantis’ comment was seen. It was in respone to Kerr’s jest caption.

“Jakob, you are so funny and amazing in your post race interviews,” the caption read.

Mondo Duplantis quickly noticed the post and hilariously commented on that. The interaction was perhaps one of the best to emerge from the unexpected situation.

After Duplantis’ performance, Kerr was asked about him and Ingebrigtsen having a chat at the time.

“I’ll let you guys think about that one,” Kerr joked. “Yeah, I mean he was just congratulating me, saying, ‘Well done, it was impressive,’ and I said he was a great 5K runner.”

The statement is a playful jab at Ingebrigtsen, who is Kerr’s rival. Kerr actually won the middle-distance 1500m race at the event. Ingebrigsten was supposed to participate at the event too and it was going to be their next big clash.

However, the Norwegian athlete pulled out of the race. He did so in order to be “more sensible,” than he would like to be because he was already scheduled for the 5000m event, which he would win. Therefore, explaining Kerr’s 5K race remark.

Mondo Duplantis Wins With Flawless Execution

Mondo Duplantis had pulled out of the Brussels Diamond League finals earlier in September due to an injury concern. The player’s thigh issues and lingering leg tightness had seemingly resurfaced, forcing him to bow out.

At the time, his rival Emmanouil Karalis took the trophy home. However, in Budapest, the story was different. Duplantis still felt concerned for his health, but it didn’t stop him from executing a perfect 6.20-metre pole vault.

This ultimately led him to win the tournament. The Swede went home with $150,000 in prize money and bragging rights thanks to his victory. Moreover, the song Gold was his track for the competition.

“It was amazing. I really like competing in Budapest,” Duplantis said afterwards. “The whole show was spectacular. It was a really fun competition tonight. It was a little bit chilly, but I had a great time.”

He thanked the crowd of 20,000 spectators who had come to enjoy the tournament. All the seats were sold out in Budapest, which speaks volumes about how important the tournament was for the fans.

The competition between him and Karalis was as intense as ever. When the bar went up straight to 5.95m, it was hardly an issue for the players. Apart from the two rivals, Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen, Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, and American Zachery Bradford made it past.

However, as the bar climbed to 6.05m, only Duplantis and Karalis were left in the competition. They both made it past it as well, with Karalis even clearing it at 6.15m to put pressure.

However, that was no problem for Duplantis either, who would later clear 6.20m to win the tournament. The only height he missed was the standing world record of 6.32 metres.

Not only that, he sang his own song at the inaugural ceremony and became a part of one of the more interesting conversations from the tournament. In many ways, perhaps Duplantis had the best time at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.