Mondo Duplantis has just made a leap that no one expected. The two-time Olympic champion and world record holder in pole vaulting is no longer content with providing the most spectacular images of athletics: he also wants to create its soundtrack. His new track, Gold, has been chosen as the official anthem of the first World Athletics Ultimate Championship, scheduled for September 11-13 in Budapest.
The announcement goes beyond the curiosity of a champion who dabbles in singing. World Athletics will integrate the piece into broadcasts and the audience experience in the stadium, culminating in a live performance by Duplantis during the closing ceremony. A sports superstar thus becomes an athlete, author, performer, and promotional face of a global competition boasting a $10 million prize purse. This sends a strong signal about how modern sports are now crafting their events.
‘Gold’, the Track That Makes Duplantis More Than Just a Champion
Gold was written by Armand âMondoâ Duplantis alongside Carl Silvergran and Oscar Chase, who also produced the track. The piece is available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. Its music video, filmed at several iconic locations in Budapest, blends contemporary imagery of the Hungarian capital with archival footage showcasing the pole vaulter in his youth.
The choice of title plays obviously with Duplantis’s athletic identity, accustomed to medals and records. However, the champion explains that he wrote the song around a broader idea: to represent his family, his team, and his coaches, thus something greater than oneself. The ambition is to connect two universal languages, music and sport, without reducing the piece to a mere advertising jingle.
An Embraced Grammy Dream
This foray is not improvised. Duplantis has been releasing music for several years and launched his first single, Bop, in 2025. NBC Sports estimates that his previous six tracks have amassed around 11 million streams on Spotify. The Associated Press also reminds us that the Swede has previously expressed his dream of winning a Grammy. The notion may elicit smiles, but it reveals an unusual career strategy: building a cultural identity that does not stop at the track.
At 26, Duplantis already possesses exceptional sporting legitimacy. Born in Louisiana to an American father and a Swedish mother, he naturally embodies multiple markets and cultures. His image travels from Europe to the United States, from the Olympic Games to social media. Music provides him with an additional means to connect with an audience that may not necessarily follow every athletics meeting.
Why World Athletics is Betting on a Star Who Can Sing
The first Ultimate Championship is set to bring together Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners, and the top athletes in the world rankings. The events will be concentrated over three evenings in Budapest, with tight formats and a reward of $150,000 for each individual winner. World Athletics aims to present this event as a showdown of the best against the best.
In this context, choosing Duplantis to write the anthem is not a gimmick. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe presents the Ultimate as a competition designed to showcase the talents and passions of great stars both on and off the track. The pole vaulter becomes the living demonstration of this promise. He is not merely lending his face to a campaign: he is producing part of the experience.
Major sports leagues have long sought to transform a match into a complete cultural spectacle. Music, fashion, celebrities, and short content allow for extending attention well before the kickoff and after the result. Athletics, often dependent on the Olympic Games to reach a broad audience, is attempting here to regain control of its narrative with an identifiable event and a proprietary soundtrack.
Global Sports Enters the Era of Champion-Creators
The decision reflects a profound evolution. Athletes are no longer just subjects of a broadcast. They are becoming media, producers, and sometimes artists. Their personal audience can rival that of the institutions organizing their competitions. For federations, this power is an opportunity to reach new communities. For champions, it represents a way to control their image and extend their careers beyond results.
Duplantis possesses a rare advantage in this transformation: his sport produces a gesture that is very easy to understand. A run, a pole bending, a body soaring above a bar set over six meters. Even without knowing the rules, the audience immediately recognizes the feat. Adding a personal song to this image creates an even more memorable and shareable signature.
However, risks exist. Immense celebrity on the track does not guarantee critical success or a popular hit. Music exposes Duplantis to a different evaluation, without a stopwatch or bar to decide. This vulnerability makes the project particularly interesting: the champion accepts to enter a domain where his track record is not enough.
Budapest Will Be the True Test of ‘Gold’
The decisive moment will arrive on Sunday, September 13. Duplantis is set to perform Gold in the stadium to close the Ultimate Championship. The piece will no longer just be a release on platforms: it will be associated with victories, slow-motion replays, and the emotions experienced over three evenings. If the event succeeds, the song could become inseparable from its inaugural edition.
The stakes are also athletic. The program promises direct confrontations between the leading figures of athletics, in a biennial competition designed to fill the years without world championships. The record prize amounts and the concentration of stars give World Athletics an opportunity to create a new premium event. Duplantis, already one of the most recognizable faces of the discipline, carries a significant part of this ambition.
The world will thus watch a champion attempt two performances in Budapest. The first will take place above the bar. The second, in front of a microphone. With Gold, Mondo Duplantis promises not just another medal or record: he tests how far a superstar of athletics can extend his influence in global culture.
Sources
- World Athletics â official announcement of the anthem ‘Gold’ and Duplantis’s statement
- Associated Press â musical journey, format, and prize money of the Ultimate Championship
- Reuters via Yahoo Sports â global broadcast of the track and performance scheduled in Budapest
- NBC Sports â musical history and integration of ‘Gold’ into the event
