Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis was born in US but plays for Sweden. Here's why

Swedish-American pole vaulter Armand "Mondo" Duplantis is in the news for not just his record-breaking feat at the Paris Olympics but also for his style of celebration. He won the gold with a 6.25-metre jump in the pole vault final at the Stade de France on Monday. Everyone present at the stadium cheered him on, including his competitors. Right after he made the gold-winning jump, he ran towards his girlfriend, Swedish model Desire Inglander, and kissed her, delivering a heartfelt and mushy moment at the games. He then hugged his teammates and punched one of them repeatedly in jest as he celebrated his win.

It didn't end there, as while greeting his family in the front row, Duplantis delivered a shrug like Michael Jordan. After this, he went on to copy Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec who won hearts with his cool and casual stance while hitting the target for a silver.

Interestingly, Duplantis had already bagged a gold with a 6.10-metre vault on Monday. However, he wanted to aim for a higher mark, and so, came out once again. His move paid off, as he set a new world record.

This was his second straight Olympic gold after winning in Tokyo. In doing so, he beat his own personal best score of 6.24 metres set in April. Before the Paris Olympics, he had won gold in the 2024 World Indoor Championships and at the 2024 European Championships.

Why does Mondo Duplantis vault for Sweden?

The Swedish-American pole vaulter was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, but represents Sweden instead of the United States. This is because his mother, Helena, is a former Swedish volleyball player and heptathlete. However, his father, Greg Duplantis, who is an American and a former pole vaulter, might have been the biggest reason why Mondo chose Sweden. His brotherAndreas was already a part of the Swedish national pole vault team. Mondo wanted to play for the US. Things changed afterDuplantis' father was offered a job as the national team pole vault coach by Sweden's Olympic youth coach. So, they all went towards Sweden.

Mondo also learned Swedish and took lessons over Skype to get better at his fluency. By 2020, he started to get a better grasp of the language. During the Tokyo Olympics, he stated that since his older brother Andreas represented Sweden at a youth level and because he loved Sweden as a child, it was an easy choice. However, he added that he feels a strong bond with Lafayette.