How Olympics stars Duplantis, Karalis became prodigies
Photos courtesy of: @manolo, @mondo_duplantis/IG, AP photos
Being able to compete in the Olympics is an opportunity that most athletes only dream of, and Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Emmanouil “Manolo” Karalis made the most out of the experience.
These two extraordinary pole vaulters became legacies in the sport at such a young age, rewriting history and shattering personal and world records at Stade de France. We think about how much hard work and perseverance led to this greatness.
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Emmanouil Karalis
The Greece representative, also known as Manolo, has won the bronze medal for the men’s pole vault event. Despite not being able to clear the 5.95M and 6.0M bar heights, Karalis expressed delight when he landed from his high jump. He finished in 4th place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and his bronze medal is a result of his significant improvement.
During the qualifiers, Karalis did not make any mistakes, and it was clear for many how much talent the 24-year-old athlete possesses. It’s a wonder how his journey had been, and what led him to love the sport and compete in the Olympics.
Emmanouil Karalis started pole vaulting as a teenager. His father, Harrys Karalis, was a decathlete and wanted Manolo to follow in his footsteps. They started training pole vaulting as his dad believed it was the most technical part of a decathlon.
From then, he fell in love with the sport and the flying feeling it gives him. In his own words, it was love at first sight. “I was a prodigy. My coaches told me that I was good at pole vaulting for my age so I told my dad ‘I’m sticking with pole vault, I’m not becoming a decathlete’ but I still really want to try a decathlon! It’s one of my plans. Most of the pole vaulters have tried the decathlon and I want to take the ‘home’ personal best,” he said in an interview with European Athletics.
Karalis had also tried other sports such as basketball, swimming, taekwondo, and football, but none came close to the exciting feeling that pole vaulting gives the athlete. “I liked the pole vault. It wasn’t scary, it was fun! Grab a stick and get over something!”
At 16 years old, Manolo was already believed to be the future star of Greece in athletics. In 2016, he was able to break the World Under 18 record in Athens, Greece. The record was 5.53M and he broke it by one centimeter.
He also talked about how a person’s mentality really affects their performance. Personally, for Manolo, when he experienced injuries, it was harder to be confident and relax his mental state. “If you’re not happy, your body is not happy and everything falls apart. The mental part is the hardest, the body just needs time,” he said.
Although his talent is something he is proud and confident of, Manolo likes to remain humble. He shared that his family has taught him to exude positive energy in order to enjoy life and be humble. Karalis said that he focuses on how much happiness the sport is providing him instead of breaking records and setting numbers. It just so happened that the happiness that motivates him also succeeds numbers and breaks records.
After winning a bronze medal in the Olympics, Manolo shared in an instagram post how unbelievable the win is for him. He captioned: “ΔΕΝ ΤΟ ΠΙΣΤΕΥΩΩ 😭😭” (I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS 😭😭)
Manolo had a personal best of 5.93M. He failed on clearing the 5.95M and the 6.0M as well, but was awarded third place because of fewer attempts as per countback rules. He finished his last jump with a huge smile and positive attitude before running back to his family and his coach to celebrate his podium.
Armand Duplantis
The Sweden representative, also known as Mondo, has broken records after records in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He broke Thiago Braz’s 6.03M Olympics record when he easily leaped the 6.10M bar height. It was not enough for the 24-year-old athlete as he aimed to break his personal record and set the bar higher up to 6.25M.
He hit the bar for his first attempt, and while his coach and father, Greg Duplantis, advised for an adjustment, Mondo wanted to give the same depth and height another try. Although he looked clear for his second attempt, he hit the bar with his leg and fell down with him.
For his final attempt on a new world record, he followed his father’s advice. The crowd in Stade de France all chanted his name, “Mondo! Mondo! Mondo!”
It was an all-or-nothing attempt, and the entire stadium as well as the millions of online viewers held their breaths for Armand Duplantis. He ran with all the energy that the positive crowd has given him, planted, swung, and cleared the extraordinary 6.25M.
For the ninth time, Mondo has broken the world records. His first world record was 6.17M in 2020. Since then, he has beaten himself centimeter per centimeter throughout the years, now holding the record once again for the 6.25M bar height.
In an interview with Olympics.com, Mondo shared how surreal it all feels. “I haven’t processed how fantastic that moment was. It’s one of those things that don’t really feel real, such an out-of-body experience,” he said after he rewrote history with his jump.
It is hard to grasp how at a young age of 24, Duplantis has already achieved many historic titles and world records–it’s as if no one comes close to a 2x Olympic winner, 2x World Champion, and the list goes on. But, how did this all start?
Mondo is a son of a former American pole vaulter, Greg Duplantis, and a former heptathlete and volleyball player, Helena Duplantis. His father became his coach from when he was introduced to the sport, while his mother helps with progression in his fitness and strength.
It did not come as a surprise that Mondo became interested in sports as he grew up because of his background. Mondo was only 3 years old when he first tried pole vaulting, on a small set-up in his family’s back garden in Lafayette, Louisiana.
His grandfather, Bob Duplantis, even had a YouTube account wherein he shared videos of his grandkids’ progress. Mondo’s siblings, Anthoine and Joanna, were also breaking records alongside him. Mondo also became a pole vaulter for Louisiana State University, leaving all kinds of records under his name.
Despite being born and raised in the USA, Mondo wanted to trace his roots and represent Sweden. He spent more time in Sweden and enrolled in a track and field club, while also enhancing his Swedish language skills. This dedication garnered him love and support from the Swedes.
He became unstoppable when he started to break records after records, and gained titles after titles to his name. But behind all of that is Duplantis’ hard work. He also remained humble despite all the achievements, never taking a win for granted. “I just try to go out there, I try to jump high, I try to break records and I try to just keep improving,” he said in an interview with Red Bull.
With Mondo’s set of skills, many believed and have seen how much talent and potential he has even as a kid. He could have easily cleared and made records early in his career, instead he breaks his own records centimeter by centimeter only per meet.
Forbes shared that athletes get $100,000 every time they break records, and Mondo is very smart to maximize this financial return by waiting for another meet to break his record again. However, Mondo doesn’t seem to be fazed whether or not he can surpass his own record. “If I don’t beat this moment in my career, I’m pretty ok with that. I don’t think you can really get much better than what happened.”
Although both Mondo and Manolo were heavily influenced by their fathers, guided into greatness in their respective excellence, they were still kids with raw talent when they were first introduced to pole vaulting. Now with titles to their names, and an Olympic medal around their necks, they will continue their careers with their own records to break, and more podiums to stand on.
