About ten minutes after 7 PM, thousands of spectators got to experience a Swedish world record in pole vault by Armand Duplantis and a Swedish European Championship record in 5,000 meters by Andreas Almgren in the Diamond League gala.
Some were probably thrown back to other classic Swedish athletics evenings.
”Pretty crazy”
Hopefully, this is a moment that many will remember. We had the DN-gala here with Patrik Sjöberg with his world record (2.42 meters in high jump in 1987) and now to have an eight to ten-minute period with a world record and a European Championship record. It's probably a night that will be talked about, says Almgren.
Duplantis first jumped over 6.28 meters and broke his own world record of 6.27 meters from February. He was keeping an eye on Almgren at the same time.
It was pretty crazy. It was very special that he did it, like, at the same time as I broke the world record, says the 25-year-old.
Almgren's run was going on at the same time as "Mondo" set his record. Afterwards, the 30-year-old ran in with a time of 12.44.27.
You felt like "Now, I have to deliver a record here too". The only thing that was a bit uncertain was that people started running out into the pole vault curve to celebrate with "Mondo". I would just say that it was motivating. It was very fun to be able to break records together.
Almgren broke the two-year-old record of 12.45.1 by the Spaniard Mohamed Katir. The VM silver medalist from Budapest 2023 was banned last year for doping.
It feels a bit extra good, says Almgren.
Bolt will "certainly" come
Both were happy to have performed in front of their loved ones on the stands. Another who was there was the sprint legend Usain Bolt. During his career, the Jamaican was seen on Stockholm's nightlife scene Stureplan after the DL galas.
"Mondo" thinks that the 38-year-old will be there to celebrate.
Certainly, certainly. I think he will do something, says Duplantis and continues:
I haven't talked to him that much. He just asked me if I would break the world record and I said that was the plan.
