Michael Johnson reacts after his prediction on Mondo Duplantis Vs Karsten Warholm goes wrong

Michael Johnson, who once predicted that Mondo Duplantis wouldn't win his 100m race against Karsten Warholm, congratulated the Swede after his win. The former Olympic champion initially wasn't too optimistic of the pole vaulter's chances in the friendly 100m race in Zurich.

However, when Duplantis proved him wrong, Johnson was one of the first ones to congratulate the Swedish-American pole vaulter. He took to his social media account on X [formerly Twitter] to express his admiration for Mondo Duplantis and his feat.

Michael Johnson wrote,

"That 54% was right! Mondo!!"

The former Olympic champion had predicted earlier that those who thought that Mondo Duplantis will win the race would be proven wrong.

"54% of people are wrong," Johnson wrote.

The much awaited 100m dash between Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm took place on September 4 at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, the venue of the Diamond League taking place there. Duplantis clocked 10.37 seconds to defeat the Norwegian hurdler.

---

Michael Johnson on Mondo Duplantis' achievements

Michael Johnson has been one of the most popular critics of Mondo Duplantis and his achievements.

In April 2024, when Mondo Duplantis broke his own world record and commented that there was nothing very special about it, Johnson didn't approve of this self criticism. Criticizing the Swede's approach to his records, he wrote:

"This is a problem for pole vault. WRs [World Records] get attention because they're usually special. The guy breaking them doesn't make it feel special. Competition gets attention. He has no competition. The problem IS NOT HIS FAULT, but it's a problem."

However, Michael Johnson has also praised Duplantis on his achievements. When the 24-year-old broke his own world record to win the Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Johnson commented for BBC Sport:

"You know when Mondo Duplantis is competing, you are always on world record watch. He essentially breaks world records when he wants. He has broken world records at World Championships and European Championships but this is the Olympics. He loves the big moments and big stages."

Mondo Duplantis has begun his Zurich Diamond League campaign in style by defeating Karsten Warholm, who will have to compete in the Swedish gear as per the agreement between the two after the loss.

Having broken the world record a mind boggling 10 times, Duplantis will aim for a 11th attempt at the Zurich Diamond League, which will be conducted tonight at the Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich. The Zurich Diamond League would be the penultimate leg of the Diamond League races, before the finals, which will be conducted at Brussels on September 13 & 14.