Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and Norwegian sprinter Karsten Warholm are all set to race it out over a 100m dash just before the Zurich Diamond League, scheduled for September 5. This comes amid a budding rivalry between the two high-performing athletes that traces back to last year's Diamond League meet in Zurich.
During a press conference last year (before the Diamond League meet in Zurich), both Duplantis and Warhom had agreed to compete against each other in a friendly 100m dash, as the Swedish pole vaulter formulated the idea.
A year later, Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm's plan is finally shaping up, as per Athletics Weekly's report. This head-to-head battle between the two will take place on September 4, a day before the official start of the Zurich Diamond League. The race is also going to have numerous prominent collaborators such as Puma and Red Bull.
This high-profile contest between Duplantis and Warholm will be a sight to behold for track and field fans, as two formidable athletes in their respective disciplines go up against one another in a 100m dash.
Statistically, Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm both have a similar record in the 100m dash. Warholm's personal best in this distance is 10.49 seconds. On the other hand, Duplantis' best-clocked run time over this distance is 10.57 seconds which he registered during his high school days.
Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm finish Paris Olympics 2024 on a high note
Competing at the 2024 quadrennial event in Paris, both Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm ended their campaign with medals. Duplantis successfully defended his Men's Pole Vault Olympic title in Paris after clinching the first position in the finals.
Duplantis' performance saw the world record tumble yet again as he registered the mark of 6.25m and bettered his previous personal best and the world race by 0.01m. The second-placed Sam Kendricks from the United States of America failed to clear the 6-meter mark (5.95m).
Warholm clinched a silver medal in the Men's 400m Hurdles event after clocking a run time of 47.06 seconds in the finals. The Norwegian lost the top position of the podium to the US hurdler Rai Benjamin, who won the gold medal after registering a run time of 46.46 seconds.