Married man 'Mondo' Duplantis says trying for pole vault records 'like the cherry on top'

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis is hoping to break the world record — as a married man. Duplantis, who tied the knot with Desiré Inglander in June, needed just one successful attempt at 5.60 meters at the European championships Friday to qualify for Sunday night’s final. The world record is 6.31, which the Louisiana-born Duplantis vaulted in March. That was his 15th world record. He first broke it in 2020 and has eclipsed his mark by 1 centimeter every time since. The two-time reigning Olympic champion looked fully recovered from a thigh issue that forced him to stop competing at the London Diamond League meet one month ago. “I’ve worked really hard the past few weeks to try and make sure I am ready for this competition, so I feel good out there. I feel hopeful and confident for Sunday,” he said. "The jump was clean, good. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Now it’s just about going up there and doing what I normally do in the final on Sunday." After his jump, the world record holder signed autographs and shook hands with fans. Organizers sold special ‘Mondo’ children’s tickets priced at 6.31 pounds — the figure representing his latest world record height — for Friday morning’s session. Duplantis also revealed on Friday he usually keeps his wedding band “in between my laces (of) my spikes” while he competes. He said his marriage proposal and wedding day were more nerve-wracking than vaulting himself into rarefied air going for a world record. “When I attempt a world record, it's just like the cherry on top," he said. "I don’t really even get that nervous, it's more like I won the competition and whatever happens after that is really nice.” Duplantis competes for his mother’s native Sweden and has won the past three European championship titles. ___ See full AP coverage of European sports here