Mondo Duplantis to Make Outdoor Pole Vault Season Debut at Texas Relays Against 2016 Olympians

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

The Texas Relays entries were released Tuesday. The men's elite pole vault looks to be a particularly interesting competition. Mondo Duplantis, the pole vault star from Lafeyette LA, will make his outdoor debut in his primary event Saturday.

Also on the entry list are 2016 Olympians Logan Cunningham and Canadian Shawn Barber. Barber is the collegiate record holder and won pole vault gold at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

Up until this point in the young outdoor season, Duplantis has only competed in the long jump. His best, a leap of 22-9.75, came two weeks ago at the Oil City Relays.

More than 7,700 athletes from 37 states and 17 countries have been accepted to compete in the four-day Texas Relays.

A surprise entry is Trey Hardee in the decathlon, which begins Wednesday. He is not on the initial entry list, but is still expected to compete. Hardee, a former Longhorn, has suffered from various injuries over the past several years, severely hampering his performances.