Armand Duplantis, aka Mondo Duplantis, has become a renowned name in the world of track and field.  The 23-year-old Swedish-American is considered one of the greatest pole vaulters of our time. Breaking record after record, Duplantis has quickly garnered the well-deserved recognition he gets from both Sweden, the country he represents, and America, where he was brought up.

Mondo is often called “LeBron James of Sweden,” having a staunch caliber similar to the basketball legend in the world of pole vaulting. However, in a recent interview, Mondo broke his silence over the unwanted nickname and revealed his true thoughts behind the phrase.

Mondo Duplantis breaks his silence over the nickname

Armand Duplantis made an exciting and striking appearance on a YouTube podcast called “Real Talk with Tee”. In the interview, the host and Mondo spoke candidly about his journey through track and field and all the interesting aspects of his life. However, one moment stood out when the host asked Armand, “So I heard you were like the LeBron of Switzerland”, to which Duplantis corrected her, saying “Sweden,” and the two shared a giggle. Then Mondo revealed his thoughts about the nickname, stating, “I get that like once every day, probably when I’m in the United States”.

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Tee, the host, then asked Mondo if he was actually at that level of fame as the basketball icon and if he had to walk around with security for his safety. To which the 23-year-old pole vault champion replied, “I don’t know about security, but it just depends. It just depends on, like, what the setting is, but uh yeah, it’s it’s it’s a little bit weird”. The revelation by Mondo highlighted the magnitude of his rise over the past years in the world of track.

Why is he considered the LeBron James of Sweden?

His love for pole vaulting began at the tender age of three, and ever since, he has invested his passion and dedication in excelling at the sport. Now at 23 years of age, Mondo is a legend in pole vaulting, having claimed the Olympic gold at the Tokyo Olympics. He was also the 2022 world champion and is also the current reigning world champion in 2023. He started the year 2023 strong at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala, Sweden, which is named after him after his winning height of 6.10 m.

This was not only his best-ever season opener, but he made history because this was the highest season-opening performance by any pole vaulter ever. If that wasn’t enough, he broke the record by securing 11 vaults of 6.10 m or higher. Then at the All-Star Perch, an annual indoor pole vaulting meeting, he once again broke records by clearing the 6.22 m mark and got his career six-meter-plus jumps to a total of a massive 60. Still pursuing glory, Mondo also made waves, winning the 2023 Diamond League finals and breaking his own world record when he cleared 6.23 meters in Eugene.

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Becoming one of the greatest in the sport of track and field, the comparison to LeBron James is understandable, just like the basketball icon ,Duplantis has claimed his dominance in pole vaulting.

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