Duplantis ready for Diamond League debut at Pre Classic

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

High school pole vaulting prodigy Armand "Mondo" Duplantis will take on the best pole vaulters in the world at Hayward Field 25 years after his father, Greg, won his only Prefontaine Classic title. 

And if that wasn't big enough for the family to celebrate on its own, consider that Mondo's older brother Antoine and the LSU Tigers baseball team are in the SEC tournament semifinals Saturday morning.

Reporters gathered around Mondo at the Valley River Inn on Friday afternoon and peppered the 17-year old with questions about why he likes to pole vault, how well he knows French star Renaud Lavillenie, and whether he's been to Hayward Field before. 

Bemused, Mondo held court. INTERVIEW

"It hasn't really it me yet," he said. "Maybe tomorrow it's going to hit me that I'm there with these people that have been role models to me."

When Duplantis vaulted 5.90 meters (19-4.25) at the Texas Relays back in late March, it sent ripples of excitement through the track world and it earned him a spot in Saturday's lineup, which includes all three medalists from Rio last summer. By the last weekend of May that jump still ranks No. 1 in the world outdoors.

Since the Louisiana state meet, where he won the pole vault with ease and also placed second in the long jump, Duplantis has been preparing for his first big-time international competition. 

He met Lavillenie for the first time when he was 13. 

On Saturday, he will compete against him for the first time. 

He said big championship meets sometimes cause him to "run too fast." Part of his preparation has been about reminding himself to slow down and do every part of his routine the same way he always does it.

"I just need to stay calm and make sure my run is consistent."