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No athlete in the world right now is as dominant in their sport as Mondo Duplantis is at the pole vault. Duplantis isn’t just the world record holder in the event. He’s a virtual lock for victory every single time he competes.
Duplantis first set the world record all the way back on February 8, 2020. with a vault of 6.17 meters (20 feet, 2.75 inches). Since then, Duplantis has broken his own world record 12 different times.
But the two-time world champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist isn’t just a remarkable athlete; he’s also a remarkable businessman who has made himself very, very rich.
Mondo Duplantis Is Exploiting IAAF Bonus Rules And His Own Puma Contract
Duplant broke the record again on Tuesday, jumping 6.29 meters (20 feet, 7.5 inches) to win gold at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial. But as per usual, he didn’t push the record more than .01 meters higher than it already was.
That’s not because Duplantis can’t do so. Instead, it’s because he has a plan.
See, rather than pushing to set some unbreakable record, Duplantis continues to push the record up just .01 of a meter each time, breaking his own record and collecting $100,000 in the process as if he were passing “GO” in a game of Monopoly.
But not only is Duplantis raking in bonus money from World Athletics, he’s also raking it in from his primary sponsor, Puma, and the sports apparel brand seems to be growing tired of opening its checkbook.
Under an Instagram post about Duplantis’ latest record-breaking effort, the brand commented simply, “Please give us a rest.”
See, in addition to the World Athletics bonuses, Duplantis’ contract with Puma also includes incentives for things such as breaking world records.
Now, the brand can’t be too upset over the deal, considering it recently agreed to sponsor his young sister, Johanna, who also competed collegiately for LSU before turning pro this week at the same meet Mondo competed at.
Unfortunately, Johanna didn’t have the same level of success as her brother, finishing eighth in the women’s pole vault with a jump of 4.16 meters (13 feet, 7.78 inches).