Bathroom Breaks Nearly Cost Duplantis European Title

Last Sunday, "Mondo" Duplantis secured his fourth European Championship title, clearing the bar at 6.15 meters and setting a new championship record, surpassing the previous 6.10 meters. However, the 26-year-old two-time Olympic champion did not attempt to break his own world record of 6.31 meters, and the reason has now been revealed by Duplantis himself.

In a post-victory interview, Duplantis admitted to making a "bad decision" by eating a spicy Indian dish shortly before the competition, which caused him significant intestinal discomfort.

"I thought if I took all the sauce off the chicken, it would be fine, but it was completely soaked in it. I had to make several trips to the bathroom," the athlete humorously explained to the European Athletics Championships media.

Armand Duplantis claimed his fourth European pole vault title, but a poor dietary choice before the event nearly derailed his efforts. The Swedish athlete disclosed that he consumed a chicken tikka masala curry that led to gastric issues, preventing him from performing at his absolute best.

The Swedish vaulter confessed his error, calling it the worst food choice of his entire career. "It was the biggest mistake of my career in terms of food. The stupidest thing I've ever done," he stated, adding with a smile, "I did everything to avoid the spicy sauce, but when you have a sensitive stomach, eating Indian food before a competition... I still don't understand why I did it."

Despite the setback, the story ended well for Duplantis, who added another title to his extensive list of achievements, outperforming Greece's Emmanouil Karalis and France's Baptiste Thiery. The Swedish athlete assured that he would not make the same mistake again, though the incident did not prevent him from reaching the top of the podium.