"I think they just taking Olympic GOLD over Silver fam" - Mondo Duplantis humorously takes a jab at Karsten Warholm ahead of their 100m race

Mondo Duplantis humorously clapped back at 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm, who asked the Swedish-American whether he bought votes in the Instagram pole. Duplantis said he received the maximum votes because people prefer Olympic gold over silver. Notably, the world record holders are set to clash in a 100m race on September 4 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Mondo Duplantis, widely considered as the most decorated pole vaulter of all time, holds the world indoor and outdoor record in pole vault. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he not only defended his Olympic title but also lowered his world record for the ninth time, clearing 6.25m.

Duplantis and 400m hurdles world record holder Karsten Warholm will take on each other at the Letzigrund Stadium in a 100m race. Weltklasse Zurich posted a poll in its Instagram stories, asking fans to vote for either the 400m hurdler or Mondo Duplantis as the probable winner. Duplantis received 67% votes while Warholm stood with 33%. The caption read:

"okay the @mondo duplantis fans have won this vote, but Karsten will only be more motivated now, right @kwarholm?"

Warholm shared the story and amusingly held Mondo Duplantis accountable for buying votes, writing:

"You out there buying votes @mondo_duplantis?"

Duplantis issued a bold statement to clap back at his competitor and wrote:

"I think they just taking oly gold over silver fam," indicating Warholm's silver in 400m hurdles in Paris.

Warholm had clocked 10.49s in his 100m attempt in 2017 and Duplantis achieved 10.57s when he was in high school.

The Swedish-American returned to the Wanda Diamond League and made his mark at Athletissima in Laussane. He cleared 6.15m and set the meeting record, days after his successful Paris Olympic campaign. The height he reached was also a Swiss all-corners record. Fresh off the Paris Games, Duplantis enjoyed competing at the Place de la Navigation.

"It's always nerve-wracking when you have a big performance like I did at the Olympics. I stepped out on the track today and I really loved it," he said. (via Wanda Diamond League)

Mondo Duplantis once claimed that he would beat Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 100m

The 24-year-old shared the stage with the two-time 100m Olympic gold medalist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in a press conference in 2022. After expressing his desire to run the 100m, he was asked by Fraser-Pryce whether he could defeat her.

“Will you say you can do a 100m against me?” she asked. (via Olympics.com)

In response, Duplantis said,

“I would beat you, yeah."

He further expressed:

"I have been wanting to run the 100m since 2018, when I ran it in high school. I hope I can do it sooner rather than later… It would not be until after the Olympics, but I would not like to do it too late to still be in shape.”

The 24-year-old will next participate in the second-last Diamond League meeting in Zurich, scheduled for September 5, 2024.