On Sunday, the world's best athletes of 2024 will be presented by the international athletics federation. Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis is likely to be well-positioned.
The 25-year-old Swedish-American has this year taken Olympic gold outdoors in Paris, World Championship gold indoors, and on three occasions has improved his own world record, which currently stands at 6.26 meters.
This year can't be topped, says Duplantis in an interview with SvD.
The highlight was the Olympic Games, where the big goal all the time was a new world record. To achieve that, a period of strict dieting was required, which had an effect.
Being an elite athlete is not always the healthiest. Living as strictly as I did up until the Olympic Games is not how I want to live my life. I was extremely meticulous with my diet. After a few months, it really felt tough. You can't keep losing weight in that way all the time. We still found a good balance in the end, says Duplantis.
When the goal was achieved – Duplantis jumped 6.25 in front of a packed Stade de France in Paris – he threw the diet out the window.
I ate fried chicken every other day after the Olympic Games. Apparently, I only had food on my mind, because my Instagram algorithms kept showing me food all the time after a while.
