Duplantis basks in ‘best-ever’ season, not rushing for more exhibitions

BRUSSELS: Armand Duplantis was left basking after a victorious end to what he said had been his “best-ever” season at the Diamond League finals in Brussels.

But the US-born Swede said he would not necessarily be rushing into any more mid- or end-season exhibition races.

Duplantis beat Norwegian hurdles star Karsten Warholm in an exhibition 100m on the eve of last week´s Diamond League meet in Zurich. It was an event that he said had left him “wrecked”. At least he made the competition the following day. Warholm pulled out with a hamstring niggle.

“I don´t know if it´s finished,” he said of the concept. “But there´s not going to be races anytime soon.

“If anything, it would be a relay with the Swedish squad if I think we had a chance to break the Swedish record.”

Duplantis, who clocked 10.37 seconds to beat Warholm´s 10.47, said he felt “pretty beat up right now”. “I don´t think the timing was also maybe so perfect for us.

“Coming off the Olympics I haven´t trained that much, I haven´t trained for probably four weeks. Realistically I haven´t done any sprint training so it was such a shock to my body and my energy.

“I don´t think it would be as much of a problem as it was now, but it´s the end of the season and you´re already kind of just hanging on and I put my body through a lot. “I don´t regret it, it was amazing and we´ll see what happens after this.”

Warholm, he added, was “doing okay. He says it was nothing serious”.

- 15th win of unbeaten season -

Duplantis only vaulted three times in Brussels, at 5.62, 5.92 and 6.11m, the latter a new meeting record. It was his 15th straight win.