It all started last year as “silliness”, but the odd 100 meter race in between Armand Duplantis and Karsten Warholmtwo Scandinavian kings of athletics, will become a reality this Wednesday (8:30 pm) at Letzigrund Stadium of Zurich. This exciting battle between the world record holders in the pole vault and 400 meter hurdles will serve as an aperitif before the Diamond League Thursday in the Swiss city.
“I’m not nervous, but I feel like the race is close and my confidence is lower than when I did the pole vault,” Duplantis confessed at a press conference. “I noticed a little bit of tension around this race,” Warholm acknowledged.
At stake is honor, personal satisfaction, a financial prize kept secret and a promise to “hurt” the loser the next day, according to the organizers, usually Swedish and Norwegian sponsors.
The origin of this unprecedented conflict is to be found in the meeting of Monaco 2023, when Duplantis, 24, told Warholm, 28, that he saw himself capable of beating him in the 100 meters. “I would,” replied the Norwegian, taking the glove without any trouble. “For me, that was just nonsense, but now I see the track and I’m starting to realize that it’s serious,” smiled the Swede.
Who will win the race between the world’s two best athletic figures in a test far beyond their disciplines? On paper, Warholm should be the favorite because he is more used to starting and has a better personal record (10.49 in 2017 compared to Duplantis’ 10.57 in 2018), but race power is also one of the virtues that led the Swede. to raise his pole vault world record to 6.26 meters, which was achieved on August 25 at Silesian Diamond Leaguein Chorzów (Poland).
Warholm established the current universal record for the 400 meter hurdles in the final of Tokyo Games (45″94) In Paris 2024 was relegated to silver due to American push Ray Benjamin. Three world golds (2017, 2019, 2023) and three other European golds (2018, 2022, 2024) are other great achievements for this Norwegian, virtuoso like Duplantis in the pole vault, who is already a two-time Olympic champion (2021 , 2014), two-time world champion (2022, 2023) and three-time continental champion (2018, 2022, 2024).
Armand was at his best after revalidating his Olympic gold in Paris with a new world record (2.25 m), a mark he surpassed a few days later in Chorzow (2.26). The Swede takes the challenge seriously and trains the exit with the American Fred KerleyOlympic bronze medalist in the 100 meters in Paris.
After seeing Duplantis in action, Kerley said he was betting on the Swede, while Michael Johnsonthe legendary multiple champion of the 200 and 400 meter dash, believes that the winner is Warholm. Swedes and Norwegians are super competitive and both bet on their success.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
