After the breakthrough success at the Olympic Games in Paris, and then the world record (6,26) in Poland just a few weeks later, Armand Duplantis has taken it easy and only participated in a few competitions.
But now it's over. On Friday, Duplantis makes his indoor season debut in a gala in Berlin.
And despite the constant world record jumps, the Swedish super star doesn't feel in any way finished. Rather the opposite.
I'm still very motivated, and I still have the fire in me. It doesn't just disappear, I still burn passionately for it, he says ahead of the gala.
The 2025 indoor season is a special one. For the track and field athletes, there are not just one, but two championships with a short interval. First, it's the indoor European Championship in Apeldoorn, Netherlands (6-9 March) and just twelve days later, the World Championship in Nanjing, China begins.
Duplantis has, however, chosen to focus fully on the World Championship, and is skipping the European Championship. But first, there's a gala in Berlin, where the 25-year-old aims to beat his own competition record of 6,06 from 2023.
It's within reach. I have a good chance of taking it tomorrow, that's my plan and my hope, he concludes.
