In his third competition of the 2023 season, Mondo Duplantis continued his winning streak by capturing the World Indoor Tour gold-level event Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais 2023.
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Armand Duplantis, the current World and Olympic champion in the pole vault, will not be defending his title at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul next month. The 23-year-old standout was one of five competitors qualified to compete in the games but opted to not compete, according to the Swedish Athletics Association. The final lineup will be revealed on Wednesday, but a team of 15 to 18 athletes from Sweden will compete in the games. The championships are scheduled to take place from March 2 to March 5, 2023, at the Ataköy Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.
Even Duplantis was unsure about participating. In an interview earlier this month, he said, “I haven’t completely made up my mind. It will depend on how things go for me during the indoor season. I need to see how my body feels and based on my performances in my first four competitions.” He stated this before competing at the four meetings in Sweden, Germany, and France. He had previously won the European Indoor title in Poland in 2021 with a mark of 6.05 m with a championship record.
In his third competition of the 2023 season, Mondo Duplantis continued his winning streak by capturing the World Indoor Tour gold-level event Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais 2023 with a height of 6.01 meters. In his second attempt, Armand Duplantis cleared 6.01m. However, he decided against attempting to break his own world record of 6.21m. The world record holder, nevertheless, was dissatisfied with his overall effort despite the victory. It might have been due to his first attempt of 5.64m in which he cleared the bar but left a trailing knee close to the bar.
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The captain of the team, Kajsa Bergqvist said, “I had of course hoped that he would participate. At the same time I have 100 percent confidence that his planning is correct with regards to his goals and his focus on being as good as possible when it counts the most.” “I have been aware since December that the European Indoor Championship is not a high priority for Armand. He told me already then that his main focus was very clearly on the outdoor season,” she further added. Bergqvist is a former Swedish high jumper, who won the bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In addition, she is a two-time world indoor champion and the world champion in 2005.
Turkey-Sweden relations have deteriorated in recent years as Ankara has refused to confirm Sweden’s NATO membership, alleging the Nordic country of providing a safe haven for what it considers “terrorists,” particularly members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Following anti-Turkey demonstrations in Sweden, which included the hanging of an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the burning of a Koran in front of Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm, tensions have gotten even worse recently. The foreign ministry of Sweden has cautioned Swedes visiting Turkey, warning that their interests and citizens may be targeted there. Stefan Olsson, the secretary general of the Swedish Athletics Association said that Duplantis’ choice was not due to safety reasons.
