12-year-old Ukrainian shatters Duplantis' pole vault record - Here's how Mondo reacted
Strohalev's record-breaking jump (photo: UAF)
Two-time Olympic champion and world record holder in pole vaulting, Swedish athlete Armand Duplantis, has praised the achievement of 12-year-old Ukrainian Matvii Strohalev, who surpassed one of Duplantis' youth records, according to Suspilne Sport.
What record young Ukrainian conquered
At the Ukrainian Youth Athletics Championship held in Lviv, Strohalev cleared a height of 4.00 meters. He exceeded Duplantis's result in 2012, when the Swedish athlete, at the same age, managed to jump "only" 3.97 meters. Thus, the young Ukrainian set an unofficial world record for 12-year-olds.
What Duplantis said
The legendary Swedish vaulter, who was shown the video by Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, said he was very happy for the young athlete and expressed hope that one day he would compete against Matvii on a major stage.
"This is incredible. Yaroslava Mahuchikh showed me the video. I was really happy to see it. I was once that young, eager to become the best in the world. I wanted to be the best and break timeless records. And he is like that, maybe even a little better. I hope he keeps progressing. And maybe, if I keep vaulting long enough, we'll compete against each other," said the 25-year-old athlete in a comment to "Suspilne" after the Diamond League stage in Stockholm.
Who is Matvii Strohalev
The young record holder comes from a renowned sporting family. His mother, Anzhela Balakhonova, was a silver medalist at the 1999 World Championships and a European champion. His father, Vadym Strohalev, was a finalist at the World Championships and a participant in the 2004 Olympics; he now works as a coach.
Matvii's older brother, Nikita Strohalev, also competes in pole vaulting and is a finalist at the World Junior Championships.
Earlier, we reported that Mahuchikh's winning streak at outdoor venues was interrupted as she suffered her first defeat in two years.
