Ambitious plan to lure pole vault GOAT Down Under revealed
An ambitious plan is being hatched to lure to Australia next year the greatest pole vaulter of all time, Swedish extraordinaire Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, as the headline act of a world-class showcase of the sport.
Nine.com.au can reveal Australian Olympic pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall is orchestrating a plan to stage a one-night men’s pole vault event featuring 10 of the world’s best at WA Athletics Stadium in Perth on March 13.
Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis celebrates after breaking his pole vault world record, and winning gold, at the 2025 world athletics championships in Tokyo. Hannah Peters/Getty Images
The project is in its early days, but Marschall is working with Athletics West (AW), Australian Athletics (AA) and Perth-based sports marketing agency Playbookx to hold a World Athletics-sanctioned event in his home town.
Enticing Duplantis to Australia would be so significant it would evoke memories of Usain Bolt’s visit for the Nitro Athletics series in 2017 and Eliud Kipchoge running the Sydney Marathon in 2025.
“The real sticking point is whether Mondo comes or not. I feel like we can put on an insane and amazing event whether he comes or not, but if he comes down, I feel like the roof is going to get blown off,” Marschall told nine.com.au.
“This would probably be the one opportunity he ever gets to jump in Australia, other than the Brisbane Olympics. So why not throw everything at it to try and get him down?
“He said to me, ‘Yeah, mate, I’d absolutely love to come’, but it’s a little bit too early to be able to tell.”
The American-born Duplantis, 26, is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a three-time world champion.
In Sweden in March, he cleared 6.31 metres to set a new world record for the 15th time. The highest anyone else in history has vaulted is 6.20 metres.
In 2025, he beat tennis megastar Carlos Alcaraz, swimming ace Léon Marchand, cycling champion Tadej Pogačar and Formula 1 gun Max Verstappen to be crowned Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.
Marschall and Duplantis are Puma stablemates and great friends.
Marschall attended the pole vault GOAT’s lavish wedding in June in the south of France, where he married Swedish model Desiré Inglander.
“He’s in the same bracket as Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, Novak Djokovic and Lewis Hamilton,” said Marschall, a two-time world championship medallist.
“He is the Roger Federer of pole vault or the Kelly Slater of pole vault. That’s the level of superstar we’re trying to bring to Perth, and if people get the chance to see him live, they shouldn’t miss it.”
Marschall is planning for it to be live-streamed – “we want as many eyeballs on this as possible” – and he wants to get Duplantis and co. to WA for a week, for a kids’ pole vault clinic, media, sightseeing, and the envisioned one-night spectacle.
Where the funding for appearance fees and prize money comes from is still being worked out, but Marschall put out a call for sponsors to jump on board.
What’s the inspiration behind the grand plan?
Armand Duplantis celebrates with Emmanouil Karalis, Kurtis Marschall and Sam Kendricks after breaking his pole vault world record at the 2025 world athletics championships in Tokyo. Getty
“I really want to put on a showcase for the younger athletes coming up after me and inspire the next generation by showing them what elite-level pole vaulting looks like,” Marschall said.
“That’s my whole MO [modus operandi] – I want to give back to the sport that has given me so much.
“I loved doing it when I was a young kid, and I really wanted to be like Steve Hooker one day, go to the Olympics, and win an Olympic medal.
“That’s just everything to me: inspiring the next generation to be fit, active, healthy, try some sports, and see cool things. If you get to travel the world and win medals along the way, that’s a perk as well.
“I want to bring pole vault Down Under, bring it to the masses, and show everyone how cool this sport is.”
In Budapest this weekend, Marschall will be one of 12 Australian athletes competing at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
The triple Olympian is approaching the end-of-season event on the back of a career-best campaign.
Prior to this season, he had never vaulted six metres. He’s now done it three times.
And he hadn’t won a Diamond League meet before this season. He’s now won two.
The good times kept rolling in Glasgow in August, when he won his third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Kurtis Marschall celebrates after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in August. AP Photo/Alastair Grant
He’s done it all under new coach Declan Carruthers, his best mate.
Carruthers, a former national-level pole vaulter, replaced triple Olympian Paul Burgess, who coached Marschall to two world championship medals before taking up a gig in China.
“The level in men’s pole vault is so high right now that you practically need to jump 5.90m or 6.00m just to place on the podium,” Marschall said.
“It’s tough, but it proves I can hang with the best in the world.”
Pole vault queen Nina Kennedy won’t be competing at the World Ultimate Championship.
The Australian superstar announced a premature end to what was an injury-riddled season last week.
“It’s been tough for her, but what she did this year after an entire year off was unheard of,” Marschall, who is great friends with Kennedy, said.
“To come back and jump 4.95m shows her incredible character.
“I’m super proud of her, and I know she’ll come back even hungrier next season.”
