Brooklyn Cyclones’ center fielder Antoine Duplantis stared at the television Tuesday, watching the biggest moment of his brother’s life.
Mondo Duplantis made his brother proud, winning the gold medal for Sweden at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“[Watching him win the gold medal] was an amazing experience,” Antoine Duplantis told The Post from Brooklyn. “It’s really cool to watch him do exactly what he always dreamed of doing and see the dream come into reality.”
Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.02 meters before falling short of breaking his own world record. The 21-year-old’s chest grazed the bar, which was set higher than anyone has ever cleared at 6.19 meters, but he still managed to secure his first Olympic pole vault title.
The spotlight was on Duplantis heading into the final, after his American rival Sam Kendricks was forced out of the Games due to testing positive for COVID-19. Duplantis won easily, ousting USA’s Christopher Nilsen, who secured a personal best of 5.97 to win silver ahead of Thiago Braz of Brazil — the reigning title holder from Rio 2016.
“In a way I really enjoyed this experience, but damn I’m glad it’s over,” Duplantis said after his victory. “Coming in as the huge favorite where everybody puts the pressure on you to win it’s just like: ‘Ah I can just chill now.’ I can just chill, and I can just enjoy the moment because I did it. I did it. I am the Olympic champion now.”
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While Antoine Duplantis could not be in Tokyo for the celebration — his Cyclones played the Hudson Valley Renegades Tuesday night — the Mets’ minor league leader in hits texted his brother to congratulate him on the victory.
“We exchanged some texts and we were laughing about how close he was to breaking the world record on that first attempt,” the prospect said. “Everybody was super fired up for all the hard work paying off.”
Mondo Duplantis holds dual citizenship in the United States and Sweden because his mother, Helena Duplantis, is a native of the Scandinavian country. She is also a former heptathlon competitor, while his father, Greg Duplantis, is a former pole vaulting champion and serves as his coach. Both parents were in Tokyo to watch him win gold.
They watched him train during the COVID-19 pandemic as well, right in their backyard.
“Ever since he was 7 years old, we had meets in the backyard and my dad tried to create a scene,” Antoine Duplantis said. “[Mondo Duplantis] was always trying to break an Olympic record or win a gold medal so to see him actually do it on the biggest stage is really cool.”
Well, all the hard work paid off. And the Duplantis family could not be more happy.