MONDO DUPLANTIS 19'4.25"!!!!!

From the NY Times, June 28, 1992:

O'Brien Fails to Make Olympic Decathlon Team

By FRANK LITSKY,

NEW ORLEANS, June 27— Forget the Dan and Dave Show at the Barcelona Olympics. While Dave got there by winning the decathlon today in the United States Olympic track and field trials, Dan knocked himself out of the picture when he incomprehensibly missed his first three attempts in the pole vault.

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Remember that unfortunate fiasco??? Dan O'Brien, one of the greats, no-heights in the decathlon PV and doesn't even make the US Olympic Team for Barcelona. Something similar can happen to Mondo. Making the team is not guaranteed, even if you're the best in your event.

I'm not sure of the Swedish Team selection process, but I'd bet Mondo would have better odds making that team. A 5.90m vaulter who peaks at the wrong time, or has a bad day at the US trials, isn't going to enjoy watching the Worlds on the TV!!! He has every right to take the path of least resistance to the Worlds and beyond, and that means he wears Swedish colors. SMART DUDE, if you ask me!! Go, Mondo, go -- and EVERYTHING on Planet Earth shouldn't be about waving the American flag. Yes, it's a privilege to do so, but it's also a privilege for anyone to compete in the Worlds, no matter which country he or she represents.

Lapped Miler wrote:

From the NY Times, June 28, 1992:

O'Brien Fails to Make Olympic Decathlon Team

By FRANK LITSKY,

NEW ORLEANS, June 27— Forget the Dan and Dave Show at the Barcelona Olympics. While Dave got there by winning the decathlon today in the United States Olympic track and field trials, Dan knocked himself out of the picture when he incomprehensibly missed his first three attempts in the pole vault.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Remember that unfortunate fiasco??? Dan O'Brien, one of the greats, no-heights in the decathlon PV and doesn't even make the US Olympic Team for Barcelona. Something similar can happen to Mondo. Making the team is not guaranteed, even if you're the best in your event.

....

You don't have to go as far back as 1992 and you don't need to look to the decathlon.

Barber is competing for Canada now BECAUSE he no heighted at the US trials for World Juniors. He didn't want to miss that competition, so he applied to compete for Canada. He has been jumping for Canada ever since.

Duplantis is simply avoiding the Christmas rush... he has seen that these things could happen to somebody as good as Barber. When he decided to jump for Sweden is was nowhere as good as Barber. Why risk it?

Or his dad was a world class vaulter and has been training him since he was 5. You can look up his progression on youtube.

Lapped Miler wrote:

I'm not sure of the Swedish Team selection process, but I'd bet Mondo would have better odds making that team.

They rarely have more than 2-3 athletes with the A standard in any given event. I believe they hold their National Championships after Worlds/Olympics. I don't know how they select their team if there are more than that, but it won't ever be an issue for him.

He has every right to take the path of least resistance to the Worlds and beyond, and that means he wears Swedish colors. SMART DUDE, if you ask me!! Go, Mondo, go -- and EVERYTHING on Planet Earth shouldn't be about waving the American flag. Yes, it's a privilege to do so, but it's also a privilege for anyone to compete in the Worlds, no matter which country he or she represents.

Re: "He has every right to take the path of least resistance"

He has the right to do whatever he wants to do, he could compete for Bahrain or Qatar if wants to, but that does not make it the right thing to do. I like people who do what is right, as opposed what is easy. No, "EVERYTHING on Planet Earth" is not about waving the American flag, but it is a tremendous source of pride to represent the USA or any country that has provided the infrastructure for your development as an athlete and as a person. Btw, accomplishments have much greater meaning when they can be shared with the people who have played a role in your success. The Swedish people will cheer for him, but it won't be like when they cheer for Angelica, in the back of their minds Mondo will be the American kid who represents Sweden.

Is this seen as in the same ballpark as Webb's 3:53?

MONDO FTW wrote:

Is this seen as in the same ballpark as Webb's 3:53?

I think it is the best U.S. high school performance ever. Better than Webb. Better than Carter.

MONDO FTW wrote:

Is this seen as in the same ballpark as Webb's 3:53?

It is very impressive and if you use a t&f scoring table, it would probably come out as about equal to Webb's 3:53. But, all things considered, it is definitely not equal Webb's mark. All things considered being population density, the universe of kid's who run the mile are about 100 to 1 versus the pole vault. There are H.S. teams who don't even contest the pole vault. It's like comparing the best H.S. surfer to the best running back. With that said, pole vaulting 19 4 is crazy good and he keeps getting better.

MONDO FTW wrote:

Is this seen as in the same ballpark as Webb's 3:53?

Webb's mark was about 3 seconds off of the WJR when he ran it.

Mondo smashed the WJR as a 17 year old Junior in high school and didn't need professional runners to drag him around the track to do so.

Mondo currently has the world leading outdoor mark for 2017 and is a favorite for a medal in London.

590 is on par with the lifetime PRs that Webb set in 2007, it isn't in the same ballpark as Webb's 353HSR. Maybe not even same zip code.