The Paris Olympics are fast approaching their conclusion, but a few immortal athletes will far outlive the games themselves. From those made into TikToks and memes to those that sparked widespread debate, a fair few Olympians found their way into history books this year.
The discussion around pole vaulting has largely been dominated by chatter about the immense… talent displayed by French competitor Anthony Ammirati. His pole vaulting success was stopped by a rogue cameo from an unintended body part, shattering his Olympic dreams but winning him the internet’s highest regard. The furor around his performance had more than one downside, unfortunately — it’s leeched attention from world-record setter Mondo Duplantis, who took home the gold following a stellar showing at the games.
He deserves some recognition too, particularly after he displayed on-point priorities in the wake of his record-setting victory. Moments after landing, the Swedish competition was on his feet, but rather than run straight to his trophy, he found his way to another prize — his model girlfriend, Desire Inglander.
Inglander caught his stunning victory on camera, and — from her stellar vantage in the stands — also managed to catch his reaction. In the immediate wake of landing on the pad below, Duplantis was beelining straight for his lady, in a wholesome moment that won over any fans still distracted by Ammirati’s anaconda.
The video quickly made the rounds on social media, and by the time it landed on TikTok people were already obsessed. They heaped love, praise, and no small amount of jealousy into the comment section, where they gushed over “one of our favorite Olympic moments yet this year,” and reinforced time and again that Duplantis and Inglander “are the best couple” of the event.
They’ve certainly built a solid foundation, and that much is clearly evident in Duplantis’ reaction to his spectacular victory. It takes a truly massive amount of effort and dedication to secure a spot at the Olympics, let alone both win gold and break a world record, and Duplantis has been putting it in for years. On average, it takes a good decade of hard, grueling work to reach the level of the athletes we see compete in the games. Those years are spent abandoning fun pursuits in favor of training, and all for the small sliver of hope that they will both make it to the games and come home victorious.
That’s a lot of strain to put on a relationship, but it seems Duplantis and Inglander have what it takes to persevere. If they can make it through that demanding training unscathed, nothing can stop the official couple of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Published: Aug 9, 2024 09:08 am