5 things you didn't know about Mondo Duplantis

After cracking open new world records several times over in his sport of pole vaulting, Mondo Duplantis has become something of a legend in Sweden (which he represents) and beyond. In our most recent issue, Vogue Scandinavia sat down with the singular talent - along with his girlfriend, social media star Desiré Inglander - to discuss his journey. Below, discover the most surprising things we learned.

While Duplantis represents Sweden, he is originally from Louisiana in the United States. Thanks to his Swedish mother, he connected with the culture and country, and now leads a very Swedish lifestyle, driving Volvo and Polestar vehicles, speaking Swedish, and living in a Stockholm apartment for half of each year. Although he’s happy to be based in Sweden now, he still appreciates his birthplace, telling Vogue Scandinavia that it’s where he goes “for downtime, to chill out with family and focus on training.”

Related: High vaultage: Mondo Duplantis and Desiré Inglander are sport's new power couple

Mondo Duplantis’ father is Greg Duplantis, who had his own acclaimed career in elite pole vaulting. Both Greg Duplantis and Mondo’s mother, Helene (a dietician and athlete in her own right) have coached the young star throughout his career. He chose the sport on his own, however, and the family strikes a healthy balance between coaching and parenting.

While he’s known the world over as Mondo, Duplantis’ real name is actually Armand. As a child, his godfather called him ‘Mondo Man,’ and the name stuck (albeit without the ‘Man’). Being the Italian word for 'world', it's proven to be an appropriate nickname, given the world domination in his sport that Duplantis has achieved.

Related: Mondo Duplantis curates a championship playlist for Vogue Scandinavia

Professional athletes are known for using all kinds of methods and superstitions to get in the zone before they compete. For Duplantis, his ritual is to listen to a playlist with some “vulgar” music “to get that crazy mindset going.” Want a sample of some of his go-to tracks? Check out his curated playlist here.

The sports star has established new world records in pole vault on eight separate occasions, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that the records he’s beating are often his own. For Duplantis, the sky is truly the limit, and he is his own greatest competition. We here at Vogue Scandinavia certainly can’t wait to see what he accomplishes at the Paris Olympics this summer.