The Swedish pole vaulter has already established himself as an athletics great but his relentless pursuit of excellence continues to set him apart

When Mondo Duplantis stands at the end of his run-up, he isnt thinking about medals. Hes thinking about moments. Specifically, his mind is filled with the sequence of small events which, when carried out correctly, add up to the greatest moment of all that short but oh so sweet freefall back to earth after the bar has been cleared that signals his job has been done.

The 24-year-old AW International Male Athlete of the Year is unchallenged at the top of his sport. He is the Olympic pole vault champion and in 2023 won his second consecutive world title during a season where he broke his own world record twice.

Those are the headline stats, but theres more. In 2023, Duplantis won 16 out of the 17 competitions he took part in. The owner of the top eight vaults in history produced a combined total of 20 clearances of six metres (a fabled mark) or above, taking his career tally to 74. As World Athletics points out, that means he alone accounts for 34 per cent of all the six-metre clearances ever recorded.

All of the above underlines that, with Duplantis, you know what youre getting. Its a fact which doesnt always work to his advantage, though. One of sports greatest attractions is its ability to shock and surprise so, when you have someone who is literally head and shoulders (plus part of his torso) above every else, there is the potential for complacency to set in not just from the watching public but from the athlete himself.

When youve won everything there is to win, what else is there left to do? His answer is simple. Get better.

If Im only thinking about medals, Im missing the whole meaning of what Ive always been trying to do, he said earlier this year. [Thats] trying to push myself and push the barriers of what is possible. I think heights for me now are the most important thing. I really want to see how high I can go.

The answer, so far, is 6.23m. That height arrived as a final flourish to his competitive year, during the Diamond League final at Hayward Field the venue at which he had also broken the world record when winning his first outdoor world title in 2022. As difficult as doing that has been, its evident there is more to come, particularly given his mindset.

Duplantis is one of a current crop of what sports psychologist Josephine Perry would term as super elites who each share a common trait.

What always impresses me about them is that they are not focused on winning. In fact, winning often gets in the way of their actual goal, which is excellence. They are often incredibly keen to be the absolute best at their sport, to master every technique, to be curious about improvements and develop a deep understanding of how to maximise every move.

They do all the basics sleep, rest, recovery, nutrition and hydration brilliantly and have turned these into habits and then focus on the processes of performing at their best.

Its the absence of focus on victory which is the real superpower, adds Perry.

The athletes who are all about winning can find that as soon as they are in a position where they might not win, or are totally expected to win [as would be in Duplantis case] then each competition can feel very threatening.

When we feel threat we have a strong physiological response increased heart rate, faster respiratory rate, dodgy tummy, tight muscles which makes it much harder to perform well. When they see each competition as an exciting challenge, because they are curious about what is possible and they have practiced the right processes, then they will do much better. They are able to focus on themselves and their movements, not others and their judgments.

Perhaps its best to hear, then, from the man himself about how he does what he does.

The whole jump is set up from the first step, says Duplantis on redbull.com. Theres a couple of things I try to think about. Im trying to have a really explosive and powerful push but I also dont want to go too overboard with it because you want to have good posture. Its hard to explain everything after that but its really this rhythm. I have it in my head and I can feel it on the runway when its right.

When I plant the pole, it hits the back of the box and I can feel that impact. I kind of just react. You have to put a lot of pressure on the pole. But then you dont lock your arms out for too long because you then have to tuck your arms in to get inverted on the pole.

The inversion is a lot of technique, a lot of timing and also physical strength. I try to get upside down as quickly as I possibly can and I try to be parallel with the pole thats when you get highest in the air. Getting over the bar is a very particular feeling. Once you let go of the pole, you are where you are so if youre high enough it can be good but, if not, theres nothing you can do about it.

Youre trying to avoid the bar, to move your arms out of the way and just trying to get your chest from hitting it on the way down. You know pretty soon if youre going to get over and if its a make then you get to relax and just enjoy the freefall.

The run, the plant, the take-off everything you do with the pole it leads up to that big fall. I live for those little, tiny moments. I can train for five years just for that half a second.