2023 Regular Session ENROLLED SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 18 BY SENATORS CORTEZ, BOUDREAUX, HENSGENS AND FRED MILLS AND REPRESENTATIVES BISHOP, COUSSAN AND PIERRE A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION To commend Armand "Mondo" Duplantis on setting a new world record for the pole vault. WHEREAS, Mondo Duplantis, a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, former Louisiana State University (LSU) athlete, and dual citizen of the United States and Sweden, represents his mother's native country in international pole vault competitions; and WHEREAS, in competition in 2019, Mondo Duplantis, a seven-time Louisiana pole vault champion, became the World Silver Medalist, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion, both indoor and outdoor, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Field Athlete of the Year, both indoor and outdoor, the SEC Indoor Freshman Athlete of the Year, owns two of the top three jumps in collegiate history, owns four of the top 10 jumps in collegiate history indoors, became the first collegian to ever clear 6.00 meters, and the first collegian in collegiate history to have four clearances of 5.92 meters; and WHEREAS, Mondo decided to leave LSU after one year to focus on his burgeoning professional athletics career and a year later he earned the silver medal at the 2019 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships held in Dohn, Qatar; and WHEREAS, on February 8, 2020, Mondo Duplantis first broke the world indoor record previously set in 2014, and seven days later on February 15, 2020, Mondo vaulted beyond the world record height again to clear 6.18 meters, breaking his own record by a centimeter; and WHEREAS, Mondo competed at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships, setting a new championship record of 6.05 meters and, at the one-year delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he won a gold medal when he cleared a height of 6.02 meters on his first effort; and WHEREAS, to say his success continued in 2022 would be an understatement; Page 1 of 3 SCR NO. 18 ENROLLED Mondo cemented his role in history by once again beating his world record three times; he started the season clearing the height of 6.19 meters in Belgrade, Serbia, followed it up by sailing more than 6.20 meters a week later at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, and finally soared more than 6.21 meters at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon; and WHEREAS, Mondo is the 2022 Male Athlete of the Year, the 2022 European Championships gold medalist, breaking the championship record with a jump of 6.06 meters, and finishing the 2022 season clearing 6.07 meters at the Zurich Diamond League final, retaining the Diamond Trophy and earning a wild card entry to the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest; and WHEREAS, Mondo got his 2023 campaign off to a strong start at the Mondo Classic 2023, a meet named after him and held in Uppsala, Sweden, with a winning height of 6.10 meters on February 2, 2023, not only his best ever season opener but also the highest season-opening performance by any pole vaulter in history; and WHEREAS, on February 25, 2023, at the All Star Perche indoor meet in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Mondo broke the world record again, soaring to clear 6.22 meters and increase the number of his career six meter-plus clearances to 60; and WHEREAS, the youngest child of LSU track and field stars, Greg Duplantis, a pole vaulter, and Helena Hudlund, a heptathlete and volleyball player, Mondo was destined to have both an interest in sports and some innate athletic ability; and WHEREAS, Mondo first tried pole vaulting at home as a three-year-old, set his first age group world best at seven, and as of July 2015, he held the world best height in all age groups from age seven to age twelve; and WHEREAS, at 23 years old, the Swedish-American pole vaulter has already made history by breaking the world record multiple times and has become a household name not just in Sweden, but very much in the world of sports; and WHEREAS, still looking towards new heights, Mondo Duplantis is just getting started. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Armand "Mondo" Duplantis on setting a new world record for the pole vault. Page 2 of 3 SCR NO. 18 ENROLLED BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Mondo Duplantis. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Page 3 of 3