Mondo Duplantis: Pole vault star driving Bolt-like interest in athletics tickets
Pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis is driving levels of demand for track and field tickets not seen since Usain Bolt, says UK Athletics.
The national governing body says sales of seats at next summer’s London Athletics Meet increased by more than 1,000 per cent after it was announced last week that Duplantis would be competing.
In a further sign that the surge was down to the chance to see the Swede in action, all of the week’s top-selling tickets were in sections of the London Stadium with the best views of the men’s pole vault.
“The response to Mondo’s announcement has been extraordinary,” said event director Cherry Alexander.
“A 1,150 per cent uplift in weekly sales is something we’ve not seen since Usain Bolt was competing and shows just how excited UK fans are to see the world’s greatest pole vaulter back in London.
“His return has given the Meet a huge early-season boost, and we expect demand to remain high as we approach next July.”
Sales for the one-day event on Saturday 18 July were the highest they have been since the tickets were first released earlier this year.
Duplantis the biggest draw in post-Bolt era
The interest underlines the pull of star names and strengthens the case that Duplantis is the biggest draw in track and field in the post-Bolt era.
The 26-year-old has broken the world record 14 times in six years, winning two Olympic gold medals as well as multiple world and European titles.
He made his World Championship debut in London eight years ago, aged just 17, but has not competed in the capital since 2018.
“It’s been too long since I last competed in London,” said Duplantis.
“My first ever World Championships was at the Olympic Stadium in 2017 and although I was still pretty inexperienced, I could appreciate the incredible atmosphere, so it means a lot to me to go back. There’s just something about that place.”