As the excitement of the 2024 Olympics comes to an end, fans of track and field can look forward to an unexpected clash between two of the sport’s biggest stars.
On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the day before the Zurich Diamond League in Switzerland, Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and Norwegian 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm will go head-to-head in a high-stakes 100m sprint.
The unconventional race brings together two world record holders from different disciplines, both eager to prove their speed on the track.
Duplantis, a two-time Olympic champion, has broken the pole vault world record nine times, most recently setting the bar at 6.25m during the 2024 Paris Games. The 24-year-old is known for his explosive sprinting ability during his approach to the vault but isn’t as well known for running without a 17-foot pole by his side.
Warholm, a 28-year-old 400m hurdler with Olympic gold, silver, and three world championships to his name, holds the world record in his event. With his experience on the track, Warholm may have an edge in a pure sprint, but Duplantis’ speed without the extra weight from his pole could make this a closely contested race.
The idea for the race began in July 2023 when the two athletes started playfully debating who would be faster in a 100m sprint, which became a hot topic among fans in Paris and around the world. Now, that debate will be settled on the track.
Despite their different specializations, both athletes have demonstrated impressive speed over 100m in the past. Warholm clocked 10.49 seconds in 2017, while Duplantis recorded 10.57 seconds as a high school student in 2018.
