Mondo Duplantis releases Gold as World Athletics Ultimate Championship anthem in Budapest; signature anthem of inaugural event.

Mondo Duplantis on his World Athletics Ultimate Championship anthem: “It’s super beautiful”

The original song, Gold, co-written and performed by the Swedish pole vaulter, was launched globally alongside its accompanying music video on Friday 21 August.

World Athletics has released the Ultimate Anthem, Gold, written and performed by pole vault world record-holder and two-time Olympic champion Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis .

Released on Friday 21 August, the song will serve as the signature soundtrack of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship. It will feature throughout the championship scheduled for 11 to 13 September, connecting fans inside the stadium with audiences watching around the world. Duplantis is also set to perform Gold live at the closing ceremony in Budapest on Sunday 13 September.

Olympics.com spoke to Duplantis when he returned to Budapest for the Gyulai István Memorial in July, when he also filmed the official music video , which features highlights from some of the greatest moments of his athletics career.

“I think it’s super beautiful,” he said. “It’s going to be really fun.

“We’re going to capture Budapest in a really good light through this music video. Hopefully people like it, and I do the championship and the city justice with the song. I tried my best.”

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Duplantis, who has broken the men’s pole vault world record 15 times, wrote Gold alongside Carl Silvergran and Oscar Chase, who also produced the track.

Fresh from claiming his fourth European title in Birmingham , the Swedish star continues to develop his music career alongside his athletics career. Gold is his fourth single and reflects themes of community, belonging and ‘representing something bigger than himself’.

Drawing inspiration from iconic tournament anthems, including Shakira’s FIFA World Cup songs , Duplantis wanted to create a track that people could sing along to.

“It’s picking and choosing from a lot of football World Cup songs, like Shakira and those kinds of songs, and getting that communal feeling of people coming together,” he said. “Pitbull and Tigers, like that generation of party anthem songs… trying to make it a little bit singable.

“The theme of the song is that we fight for somebody that’s not really ourselves and it’s all about the people because that’s what sports is about. I wanted to portray not just something that relates personally to me but I think to everybody else. That we represent something a lot bigger than ourselves when we’re on the track and that’s your family, your close ones, your country and the people that support you.”

Mondo Duplantis | Born to Fly

The intimate story of Mondo Duplantis and his rise to fame from child prodigy to the greatest pole vaulter of all time. By the age of 21, Mondo broke the World Record and won Olympic Gold, accomplishing the lifelong dreams of a passionate child.

By Evelyn Watta Grace Goulding

Athletics | World Athletics Ultimate Championship | Budapest | Hungary