The athletics community had been eager to find out what would happen in the much talked about 100m duel between Karsten Warholm and Mondo Duplantis. Fans had high expectations, and the two superstars did not disappoint them. Prior to the show, they had entertained media representatives with some good-humoured trash-talk during a media conference. Duplantis predicted that he would be able to use his explosive speed in the 50 to 60m. And Warholm, in turn, thought that his experience coming out of the blocks and endurance might help him. «Karsten or Mondo?» had become the big question – in Zurich and elsewhere.
The answer came on Wednesday night. A crowd of nearly 3 000 spectators attended the show at Letzigrund Stadium that featured various battles and lifestyle elements. The two 100m protagonists felt comfortable in the special setting, went about their competition in their usual entertaining, cheerful way, and won the hearts of the crowd immediately.
One-piece body suit in Sweden’s colours for Warholm
The moment of truth came at 9.55pm. 10 seconds would reveal whether the two could follow up on the confident statements they had made at the media conference. Some may have believed that preparations for the show event had been half-hearted after the Olympic Games in Paris. But they were wrong. Evidently, both superstars were not only brilliant showmen, they also delivered on an athletics level. Duplantis was fast out of the blocks, remained surprisingly powerful until the final metres, and clocked 10.37. Warholm came in second in 10.47.
Even after their race, the two athletics icons treated stadium visitors to a fabulous show experience. There will be a price to pay for Norway’s 400m h superhero at Weltklasse Zürich on Thursday, however. Immediately after crossing the finish line, Duplantis handed him a Puma one-piece bodysuit in the colours of Sweden. Warholm will have no choice but be a good sport again and wear it, even if grudgingly, for his 400m race.
Kambundji sisters supporting young talents
Prior to the «Karsten vs. Mondo» duel, eight U18 talents tackled a 100m sprint competition that included a semi-final and a final. Their illustrious supporters at the stadium included Mujinga and Ditaji Kambundji. Timea Rankl, a fellow club member of decathlon and long jump star Simon Ehammer, prevailed in the final, defeating her three opponents.
