A sentence I never thought I’d say: The #1 pole-vaulter in the world is my favorite athlete right now.
He’s a world-class athlete by day and a world-class capitalist by night.
Mondo Duplantis, the 25-year-old Swedish-American pole-vaulter, just broke his own world record for the 12th time.
“How has he broken his record so many times?” you may be asking.
One word: INCENTIVES.
Here’s the full story.
Incentives 101
Mondo read the fine print.
It says:
- An athlete earns $100,000 for each new world record.
- The bonus is capped at one per competition.
One-Centimeter Plan
So what did Mondo do?
He raised the bar—literally—one centimetre at a time.
Record Timeline
Since launching his record campaign in 2020 (starting at 6.15 m), he has inched upward:
- 8 Feb 2020 — 6.17 m
- 15 Feb 2020 — 6.18 m
- 7 Mar 2022 — 6.19 m
- 20 Mar 2022 — 6.20 m
- 24 Jul 2022 — 6.21 m
- 25 Feb 2023 — 6.22 m
- 17 Sep 2023 — 6.23 m
- 20 Apr 2024 — 6.24 m
- 5 Aug 2024 — 6.25 m
- 25 Aug 2024 — 6.26 m
- 28 Feb 2025 — 6.27 m
- 15 Jun 2025 — 6.28 m
Mondo’s latest 6.28 m jump in Stockholm brings his five-year record-bonus haul to $1.2 million.
Conclusion
Here’s a quick rundown on Mondo’s genius strategy.
- Incentives drive behavior: a $100 k carrot per record shaped Mondo’s strategy.
- Small gains add up: one centimetre jumps produced twelve world records.
- Read the fine print: understanding rules can turn athletic success into serious earnings.
- Capitalist mindset wins: performance plus smart planning equals $1.2 million in bonuses.