Sky's the limit for Duplantis ahead of ‘super-sick' Tokyo worlds
The US-born Swede has been in electric form, setting a 13th world record, of 6.29 meters, in Budapest on Tuesday to further seal his claim as one of the best track and field athletes in history.
But Duplantis shies away from the bravado often shown by sprinters, reiterating that he is not bothered by the numbers game.
'I'm just making sure that all the little details and everything are very polished and that I'm really ready to go at the most important time,' Duplantis said Thursday ahead of the Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland.
'It's a lot of recognition,' he conceded of setting multiple world records.
'It's always an amazing feeling and I'm always super grateful, and it feels kind of surreal in a way every time I've been able to push the record a little bit higher.'
A return to Tokyo's Olympic Stadium for the Sept. 13-21 world champs, with a full crowd compared to the empty tribunes in 2021 because of the pandemic, left Duplantis 'super excited.'
'I have super high expectations,' he said. 'It's going to super sick, honestly.
'I think the atmosphere is going to be insane. Then it's just up to me to enjoy it and channel what everybody's giving me and try to put on a good show.'
But the 25-year-old, who has used the same pole to set the last 10 world records, again played down expectations of how high he thought the bar might be raised to.
'I just love competing,' he said. 'It doesn't matter how many world records that I break.
'When it comes to sports in general, you always have to prove yourself on the day because nobody just gives you anything, it's all earned.
'They don't just give me the trophy because I'm the favorite. I still have to go out there and have to compete. I have to be on my A game, and I have to earn my title as the one that's going to be the best and last man standing on that day every time.'
As for the 6.30m mark and beyond, Duplantis added: 'I don't want to lie and make something up and act like there's some special magic number that I'm aiming for that's always in the back of my mind when it's really not the case, because I'm really not very super fixated on anything in particular.
'I feel like I'm very much somebody that lives in the present moment and I try to maximize and achieve the most that I can in the now.'
That said, the Swede then fired out a warning, saying he knew he was going 'to keep jumping higher, there's a lot more to come, and I'm going to keep pushing it.'
'I just try to jump as well as I can every day and I know that if I jump the way that I should jump then I should be the best guy on the track and I should be the guy that's the last man standing.'
Duplantis also said he had vastly improved, both physically and mentally, over recent years, allowing him an unprecedented consistency in competition.
'I'm just better in every way,' he said. 'I'm more experienced. I have a better understanding... how to take care of myself and my body and what to do to remain in good shape, also just better performing and getting the most of myself on each given day.
'There's going to be a day where I'm not going to jump very well, but that happens. Doesn't happen that often, though, and it probably won't happen two times in a row.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
World's first humanoid robot games begin in China
BEIJING: The world's first-ever humanoid robot games began Friday in Beijing, with over 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they compete in events from the 100-meter hurdles to kung fu. Hundreds of robotics teams from 16 countries are going for gold at the Chinese capital's National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The games include traditional sports like athletics and basketball, as well as practical tasks such as medicine categorization and cleaning. 'I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans,' enthusiastic 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan told AFP. Human athletes might not be quaking in their boots just yet. At one of the first events on Friday morning, five-aside football, 10 robots the size of seven-year-olds shuffled around the pitch, often getting stuck in a scrum or falling over en masse. However, in a 1500-meter race, domestic champion Unitree's humanoids stomped along the track at an impressive clip, easily outpacing their rivals. The fastest robot AFP witnessed finished in 6:29:37, a far cry from the human men's world record of 3:26:00. One mechanical racer barrelled straight into a human operator. The robot remained standing, while the human was knocked flat, though did not appear to be injured. Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games is the first to focus specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organizers said. The Chinese government has poured support into robotics hoping to lead the industry. Beijing has put humanoids in the 'center of their national strategy,' the International Federation of Robotics wrote in a paper on Thursday. 'The government wants to showcase its competence and global competitiveness in this field of technology,' it added. Authorities are working to raise awareness of the sector across society. Cui Han, accompanying her 10-year-old, told AFP that her son's school had organized and paid for the trip to the Games. 'I hope it will encourage him to learn more about these new technologies,' she said. In March, China announced plans for a one-trillion-yuan fund to support technology startups, including those in robotics and AI. The country is already the world's largest market for industrial robots, official statistics show, and in April, Beijing held what organizers dubbed the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon. Chen, the spectator, told AFP he was about to begin studying automation at university. 'Coming here can cultivate my passion for this field,' he said. 'My favorite is the boxing, because... it requires a lot of agility and I can really see how the robots have improved from before.' Meanwhile, at the kung fu competition area, a pint-sized robot resembling one from the popular Transformer series attempted to execute a move, but fell flat on its front. It spun around on the floor as it struggled to get back up, the crowd happily cheering.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Sky's the limit for Duplantis ahead of ‘super-sick' Tokyo worlds
CHORZOW: Record-breaking Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis has predicted a 'super-sick' world championships in Tokyo, where he won his first Olympic medal in the Covid-delayed Summer Games, but insisted statistics were unimportant to him. The US-born Swede has been in electric form, setting a 13th world record, of 6.29 meters, in Budapest on Tuesday to further seal his claim as one of the best track and field athletes in history. But Duplantis shies away from the bravado often shown by sprinters, reiterating that he is not bothered by the numbers game. 'I'm just making sure that all the little details and everything are very polished and that I'm really ready to go at the most important time,' Duplantis said Thursday ahead of the Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland. 'It's a lot of recognition,' he conceded of setting multiple world records. 'It's always an amazing feeling and I'm always super grateful, and it feels kind of surreal in a way every time I've been able to push the record a little bit higher.' A return to Tokyo's Olympic Stadium for the Sept. 13-21 world champs, with a full crowd compared to the empty tribunes in 2021 because of the pandemic, left Duplantis 'super excited.' 'I have super high expectations,' he said. 'It's going to super sick, honestly. 'I think the atmosphere is going to be insane. Then it's just up to me to enjoy it and channel what everybody's giving me and try to put on a good show.' But the 25-year-old, who has used the same pole to set the last 10 world records, again played down expectations of how high he thought the bar might be raised to. 'I just love competing,' he said. 'It doesn't matter how many world records that I break. 'When it comes to sports in general, you always have to prove yourself on the day because nobody just gives you anything, it's all earned. 'They don't just give me the trophy because I'm the favorite. I still have to go out there and have to compete. I have to be on my A game, and I have to earn my title as the one that's going to be the best and last man standing on that day every time.' As for the 6.30m mark and beyond, Duplantis added: 'I don't want to lie and make something up and act like there's some special magic number that I'm aiming for that's always in the back of my mind when it's really not the case, because I'm really not very super fixated on anything in particular. 'I feel like I'm very much somebody that lives in the present moment and I try to maximize and achieve the most that I can in the now.' That said, the Swede then fired out a warning, saying he knew he was going 'to keep jumping higher, there's a lot more to come, and I'm going to keep pushing it.' 'I just try to jump as well as I can every day and I know that if I jump the way that I should jump then I should be the best guy on the track and I should be the guy that's the last man standing.' Duplantis also said he had vastly improved, both physically and mentally, over recent years, allowing him an unprecedented consistency in competition. 'I'm just better in every way,' he said. 'I'm more experienced. I have a better understanding... how to take care of myself and my body and what to do to remain in good shape, also just better performing and getting the most of myself on each given day. 'There's going to be a day where I'm not going to jump very well, but that happens. Doesn't happen that often, though, and it probably won't happen two times in a row.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia's Video Game Market Booms with over 2.4 Million Consoles Imported in Two Years
Saudi Arabia's video game sector has seen remarkable growth in the past two years, with imports of video game consoles reaching over 2.4 million units in 2024 and 2025, according to data from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority. In 2024, over 1.7 million units were imported, while 684,489 units have been imported so far in 2025. China, Japan, and the United States were the top suppliers, SPA reported. The Saudi Internet Report 2024 from the Communications, Space and Technology Commission highlighted significant improvements in the digital infrastructure, including an 88% improvement in response time for popular video games. The report also detailed usage trends, showing that smart devices are the most used platform (24.2% of users), followed closely by PlayStation (23.8%). PlayStation is the dominant platform for the 10-19 age group, while smart devices are preferred by older demographics. Whiteout Survival, Roblox, and Subway Surfers were the most downloaded mobile games. The Esports World Cup, which is being held in Riyadh from July 7 to August 24, reinforces the Kingdom's growing role as a global gaming hub. The event features over 2,000 players from more than 100 countries competing for prizes exceeding $70 million, solidifying Saudi Arabia's position in the global gaming and esports scene.
