Mondo Duplantis to skip 2027 indoor season to focus on recovery

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World and Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis has decided to skip the entire 2027 indoor season, including the European Indoor Championships in Valencia, to focus on recovery and preparation for the outdoor campaign.

The 26-year-old Swede said he had decided to prioritise rest after another demanding year.

He withdrew from the Diamond League final in Brussels last month as a precaution because of recurring tightness in his leg but returned to competition to win the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest a week later with a clearance of 6.20 metres.

“I ⁠am making this decision to ‌give my body the recovery and preparation it needs so that I can perform at my peak when ‌I return to competition,” Duplantis said ‌in a statement.

“My focus will be on training well and preparing for the 2027 outdoor season, which runs from early May to the World Championships in mid-September.”

Duplantis, a two-time Olympic champion and three-time outdoor world champion, improved his own world record to 6.31 metres in March.

However, his season was not without setbacks as he suffered a surprise defeat at the Stockholm Diamond League in June, losing for the first time in three years to Australia’s Kurtis Marschall.

He bounced back to win in Paris ‌three weeks later, although he ⁠was unable to improve on his world-record mark. ⁠He also won the gold at the European Championships in August.

“I look forward to coming back stronger and meeting everyone again during the 2027 outdoor season,” Duplantis said.