Inside Mondo Duplantis' world: the interview
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00:00One of the only football jerseys that I really owned when I was younger was a Milan jersey and of course a Zlatan jersey.
00:08Nobody's bigger than Zlatan.
00:10And, you know, especially in Sweden, I mean, he's like, I mean, he's bigger than anybody.
00:14I mean, there's nobody that even compares really.
00:24Monta Duplantis, welcome to our world.
00:26How did it felt to have a tour in our museum?
00:29Yeah, it's amazing.
00:31I'm honoured.
00:33Y'all really didn't have to name it after me, but y'all did.
00:36And so that's also very cool.
00:38But no, jokes aside, it's super, super amazing.
00:42And really just so nice to soak up the whole environment here at the Monde Milan Museum.
00:47So, yeah, really cool.
00:49Did you know you made our fans crazy wearing an AC Milan jersey in your TikTok video after the Olympics?
00:57Yeah, I didn't realize I guess it was going to happen like that, but I guess it did.
01:01I mean, one of the only football jerseys that I really owned when I was younger was a Milan jersey.
01:08And of course, a Zlatan jersey.
01:10But it was cool to see the Milan fans react well to it.
01:13I think that's nice.
01:14All right.
01:15Let's talk for a while about your nickname Mondo.
01:17Did you know it's an Italian word?
01:19Yeah, of course.
01:21My father's best friend is a family from Sicily.
01:26And so I got the name Mondo.
01:29I guess it means world.
01:30I know that much, at least in Italian.
01:33But first it was Mondo Man.
01:35That was what I was called when I was really young.
01:37And then, I don't know, I just shortened it to Mondo.
01:41And then it was just Mondo.
01:43What's your connection with football?
01:45I mean, I think it's a beautiful sport.
01:48I did grow up a lot of my life in the United States,
01:52a part where the culture of football really wasn't that big.
01:56But every time I would come back to Sweden,
02:00that was the only thing that would watch me and my cousin.
02:03And so I think that's where I really learned to develop the love for the game.
02:08And I guess it kind of just went from there.
02:13Have you ever tried to play football?
02:14Even recently, I mean.
02:16Not recently, no.
02:17It was a long, long time ago.
02:19I played a little bit of football when I was younger,
02:21but not, yeah.
02:23I would say, I mean, like I said,
02:25the culture wasn't really that big, actually, where I grew up.
02:29But I wish I had played more,
02:31because I really do think it's such a beautiful game.
02:35And I feel like I would have really liked to dive deeper into it,
02:38but I just was too good at the football thing.
02:41And then I just did that instead.
02:43In which position would you play on the pitch?
02:45Because we also saw that you were very fast,
02:47and you could be a good winger.
02:48I'd probably be a winger.
02:49Yeah, I'd probably be a winger, I guess.
02:51Use my speed to my advantage, I guess,
02:53because I am pretty quick.
02:55And that's definitely my best attribute, I guess,
02:59that I would be able to bring to the pitch,
03:01if I could bring anything.
03:02So I'd probably be a winger of some sort.
03:05Let's talk about Zlatan Ibrahimovic also,
03:07who congratulated you in a recent France conference
03:10for your gold medal at the Olympics.
03:12I guess you heard these words.
03:14And how did you react about that?
03:16As you know, he's an idol in Sweden,
03:18and in the whole world.
03:20Yeah, I mean, nobody's bigger than Zlatan.
03:23And, you know, especially in Sweden,
03:25I mean, he's bigger than anybody.
03:28I mean, there's nobody that even compares, really.
03:30And so, yeah, praise from the big man himself is...
03:34I don't know, it's weird, it's weird, you know?
03:36I mean, especially thinking about, you know,
03:39years back when I was just a child,
03:41and, you know, looking up to him,
03:43and seeing him as an idol,
03:45it's a really, really cool thing.
03:48Do you think in a certain way, you know,
03:51to share the same winning mentality,
03:53the strong will to get better day by day,
03:57you know, to break new records,
03:59to get more wins?
04:02Yeah, maybe he probably has a little bit
04:05of a different mentality than me.
04:07But, no, I think we both, yeah, hunger for winning.
04:10I mean, I think that's what everybody has
04:13that wants to be the best, or that is the best,
04:15or close to the best in what they do.
04:17I mean, you have to have that hunger to win,
04:19and that dedication.
04:20But I think also it just comes down to passion.
04:22And you have to really love what you do.
04:24And I think that, you know,
04:26if you really find what you love,
04:28then you can take it.
04:30Only being 24, you've become world champion,
04:33and you won gold medals in the Olympics,
04:36making history in pole vault,
04:38and breaking world record with 626 meters.
04:41And right now, what's next?
04:43What's the next goal?
04:45I think for me, I'm just trying to soak up the moment
04:49and soak up what I just did,
04:50and really be thankful for the season that I've had,
04:54and even the past few years,
04:56winning the Olympics, world records,
04:58and everything that I've been able to do.
05:00But, you know, just always,
05:02I'm always going to keep pushing for more.
05:04And I know the type of athlete that I'm in.
05:06So right now, I'm in like the off-season mode
05:08where I don't train, and I'm just like relaxing,
05:10and, you know, coming to Milan,
05:12going to football matches,
05:14and just having a really good time.
05:16But, you know, when it comes to next year,
05:18I have more championships, try to win.
05:20Try to win everything again,
05:21try to keep jumping higher,
05:22push myself as much as I can,
05:24and, you know, just the same old thing.
05:27And we wish you best of luck.
05:29Thank you very much, Mondo.
05:30Appreciate it. Thanks for inviting me.
05:33Thank you for that.