With the Golden Tracks awards night in Batumi, Georgia imminently approaching on 25 October, we are taking a closer look at the three finalists for the men’s European Athlete of the Year trophy.
Today we put the spotlight on Armand Duplantis, the extraordinary Swede whose exploits in the men’s pole vault are exhausting all superlatives.
Following a monumental 2024 where he won Olympic gold with a world record, he managed to surpass even that in 2025. He broke the world record four more times, finally - most gloriously - at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, leaving the new mark at an incredible 6.30m.
He has won the men’s athlete of the year twice before, in 2024 and in 2022 when he shared the title with Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen. The Nordic duo also shared the men’s Rising Star title in 2018.
2025 highlights
- Broke the world record on four occasions, ending the year with 6.30m at the World Athletics Championships
- World pole vault champion for the third time
- World indoor pole vault champion
- Diamond League final winner
- Unbeaten in 16 competitions
As well as being one of the world’s greatest athletes, Mondo has a real flair for drama too. And in 2025, he delivered moments of true theatre.
Ahead of the Stockholm Diamond League on 15 June, he had declared that breaking the world record in his native city was one of his few remaining unfulfilled dreams. As so often is the case in Mondo's career, fantasy became reality when he sailed over 6.28m at the first attempt.
Exactly three months later, he was on the runway at the World Athletics Championships with yet another gold medal safely secured, attempting another world record.
The expectation had surrounded him in the lead up to Tokyo and he duly delivered again with a superb clearance of 6.30m at the final attempt.
What he said
On breaking the world record in Tokyo…
"For the past two weeks I really enjoyed being in Tokyo. I have been enjoying everything so much. I feel the only way to leave Japan was to set the world record. That was my mentality.
"I don't know what is next for me at this moment. I don't care. I will just enjoy this right now. I was feeling really good the whole day. I knew I had the record in me.”
On breaking the world record in Stockholm…
"They etch the names of world record holders here. It's going to be really special to have my name etched in the stadium. It's the most beautiful stadium, in my biased opinion.
"It'll be one of the greatest memories for me, I think, in my career."
On improving rival Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, who cleared six metre 12 times in 2025 and now has a best of 6.08m…
"He's very talented and we've both been jumping since we were like 14 years old or so against each other.
"We're pretty big on-track rivals competitively but we've also got a good friendship on the side too, so we've got a lot of respect for each other. He's an amazing pole vaulter with so much talent and I think everything's come to life this year for him. He's really blossomed into the athlete he can be this season."
Did you know?
- In winning the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March with 6.15m, Mondo became the first pole vaulter to clear 6 metres on 100 occasions.
- He has won 41 pole vault competitions in succession. His last defeat was at the Monaco Diamond League on 21 July 2023.
Last 10 men’s European Athlete of the Year winners
2024 - Armand Duplantis (SWE)
2023 - Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
2022 - Armand Duplantis (SWE) and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
2021 - Karsten Warholm (NOR)
2020 – not held
2019 - Karsten Warholm (NOR)
2018 - Kevin Mayer (FRA)
2017 - Johannes Vetter (GER)
2016 - Mo Farah (GBR)
2015 - Greg Rutherford (GBR)
2014 - Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)
