Mondo Duplantis- Post College and Beyond!

[Atticus]

Yeah they acknowledged that. I guess we will see some shiny new bigger poles this indoor season.

He's going to need some decompression time after this long season, so he may not be on a BIG stick till . . . Tex R?

[KevinR]

That sounds good to me. This young man has a bright future. And he is competing in an event which is very supportive. I am excited to watch him develop!

[Bruce Kritzler]

Both Mondo and his parents admitted his poles were probably too soft in the final. He was too strong for them now when he was in top shape. The pole he used for 5.97 and 6.02 was his stiffest available and it turned out to be on the soft side, despite being stiffer than what he used last year. They thought this pole would be enough to jump as high as WR.So I guess he needs to finish growing and settle in.

Other option is to lower his grip (and improve his technique) like Sam Kendricks. Looked like Mondo has put on 10 lbs. this year. Starting to look like his dad did when vaulting.

[Atticus]

Other option is to lower his grip (and improve his technique)

That may eventually happen, but not now while he's still moving up poles. Plus his technique, esp. for his age, is superb.

[Dave]

That may eventually happen, but not now while he's still moving up poles. Plus his technique, esp. for his age, is superb.

Who would you say has better technique than Duplantis right now? Kendrick?

[26mi235]

Mondo, Kendrick, and Lisek (you could add others here as well) all have different technique that fits their physical capabilities. One interesting aspect of Mondo's vaulting is that he will try to put in parts of what others do to see how it works for him. That is likely to mean is technique will continue to evolve, in part because his body is. Is it possible for Mondo to clear as much above his grip as Kendrick does, probably not.

[Atticus]

Mondo, Kendrick, and Lisek (you could add others here as well) all have different technique that fits their physical capabilities. One interesting aspect of Mondo's vaulting is that he will try to put in parts of what others do to see how it works for him. That is likely to mean is technique will continue to evolve, in part because his body is. Is it possible for Mondo to clear as much above his grip as Kendrick does, probably not.

Concur. Kendrick is getting the most out of what he has, so that, de facto, would have to mean he's got the best technique. I would say that he and Bubka are as good as it gets. Mondo will be the WR-holder, sooner than later.

[Jshapco2]

Concur. Kendrick is getting the most out of what he has, so that, de facto, would have to mean he's got the best technique. I would say that he and Bubka are as good as it gets. Mondo will be the WR-holder, sooner than later.

Sam is probably the most efficient and technically sound vaulter in history. He uses a 4.90 pole. For reference most vaulters use that size pole to clear anywhere from 16' to max 18' ..... sam cleared 19'11"

He has the world record for push off by a lot, but more than that his take off is in the same spot almost every single time and his kinesthetic awareness over the bar is the best I have ever seen. He brings his thumbs in, and points his toes up, allowing him to round over the bar.

He is also probably the most consistent and mentally strong vaulter ever as well. Also the post 2000 outdoor world record holder.

[polevaultpower]

If Mondo could maximize his abilities and consistency the way Sam does, he would be jumping like 6.10-6.30 every meet.

That's not a knock on Mondo, Sam is just THAT good. I don't know if any vaulter has ever achieved their maximum potential the way he has.

On paper, Sam should not be competitive with these guys. But because he performs at like 95-99.999% of his maximum ability on nearly every jump, he is one of the most consistent vaulters ever which has translated into being one of the most successful.

Sam, Mondo, and Piotr are all built sooooo differently, they each have to use a slightly different technique to achieve their own maximum potential.

Sam is more consistent than Mondo, in large part, because he is done maturing physically, and has many years of doing the same thing at the same speed with the same poles, over and over again.

Mondo is still growing and maturing and getting stronger and faster, which means he keeps having to change poles and the exact peak position of each vault is much harder to predict.

I think the fact that he made is through this year healthy and with a World Champs medal says a lot about what solid training and life plans he has going on.

Can't wait to see what comes next for him!

I think having all these guys hovering around the 6 meter mark week after week makes everything much more exciting than if one vaulter was completely dominating

[odelltrclan]

Why doesn't Kendricks go to a longer pole, even if only slightly larger?