‘Huge inspiration’: World record holder Armand Duplantis praises Neeraj Chopra’s impact on Indian sport | Sport-others News

Pole vault world record holder and reigning Olympic champion Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis has heaped praise on India’s javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra, calling him a “huge inspiration” and crediting him with sparking a sporting revolution in India.
Duplantis also reflected on his long-standing interactions with Chopra, who became India’s first Olympic gold medall in athletics at Tokyo 2020. The Swedish superstar, widely regarded as one of the finest pole vaulters in hory, expressed admiration not only for Chopra’s athletic prowess but also for his humility and influence.
“We’ve interacted quite a bit actually,” Duplantis said. “We met before and after the Tokyo Olympics, and even when he had that big viral moment and inspired the whole country of India, he was still the same guy, same nice, caring guy I met years back.”
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Their first meeting, Duplantis recalled, was at the 2016 World Junior Championships, a competition that served as a springboard for both athletes. “He exploded on the scene there,” Duplantis said, noting that Chopra’s potential was evident even then.
Fastforward to the present, with both of them having earned Olympic gold and global acclaim, Duplantis reflected on how Chopra’s success has gone beyond just javelin. He’s a huge, huge inspiration. I love what he does. I think he’s a really talented and great athlete,” he said. “What he’s doing for sports in India is really an amazing thing.”
Chopra’s Tokyo triumph (in 2021) catapulted him into stardom in India, and it started a revolution in track and field, and javelin in particular.
Duplantis, who has redefined pole vaulting consently bettering his world record – his current one stand at 6.27 metres, knows the impact elite athletes can have beyond the field.Story continues below this ad
Asked whether competing in India is on his bucket l, Duplantis said he wants to perform in the country rather than just make a courtesy visit.
“I would love to, I’m trying. The goal is with, there’s like the Mandel Classic and my own pole vault competition that I have in Sweden, it would be really nice to branch out and to venture off into different areas and different places,” he said.
“It definitely doesn’t just have to be in Europe. It could be in India, that would be amazing, I would love to. I still haven’t been yet. Unfortunately the way the schedule works out is a lot of my travel is competitions and what not.
“So the best thing would be to just compete in India and be able to show the Indian people what I can do, and the most entertaining thing I do is definitely jump, not just talking. I would love to come, jump and experience the culture. That’s big-time bucket l.”
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