Mondo can sing, too: Duplantis releases 'Gold' as anthem for Ultimate Championship

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis is singing about his favorite color in a promotion for the first Ultimate Championship.

The two-time Olympic champion released “Gold” with World Athletics on Friday as the anthem of the upcoming meet that boasts a total prize fund of $10 million.

Ultimate Championship will be staged in Budapest from Sept. 11-13 showcasing Olympic, world and Diamond League champions over three evening sessions. Gold medalists in individual events will win $150,000.

The 26-year-old Duplantis has dabbled in music for several years and released his first single, “Bop,” in 2025.

Duplantis, the world-record holder, says he dreams of winning a Grammy.

“Gold” was written by Duplantis with Carl Silvergran and Oscar Chase, and was produced by Chase, the World Athletics announcement said.

“I wrote the song around representing something that’s a lot bigger than yourself,” Duplantis said in the announcement. “I think that’s what we all do when we’re on the track. We represent our family, our team, our coaches, and I love that concept. Music and sports are the two things that bring people together in the best way, and ‘Gold’ is an expression of that.”

The accompanying music video was filmed in the Hungarian capital and includes archival footage of Duplantis as a young athlete.

The Louisiana-born Duplantis told the Olympics channel last year he uses his music “as a way of therapy. I really love to have something else to be able to do, and to kind of take myself away from sports a little bit.”

At the Ultimate Championship, his new song “will be woven into the broadcast and live-event experience, connecting fans in-stadium with audiences around the world,” World Athletics said.

Duplantis is scheduled to perform “Gold” live in-stadium to close out the event.

“The Ultimate is purposefully designed to showcase the talents and passions of our sport’s biggest stars, on and off the track,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said. “Mondo is one of our most recognizable and accomplished athletes, and we could not be more excited that he is the one who created the Ultimate Anthem."

The championship will be a biennial event.

See full AP coverage of European sports here

Sweden's Armand Duplantis competes in the men's pole vault final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Harlow)

Sweden's Armand Duplantis competes in the men's pole vault final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Harlow)

Sweden's Armand Duplantis makes an attempt in the men's pole vault final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Armand Duplantis, of Sweden, competes in the men's pole vault competition at the Diamond League athletics city meet in Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thursday, August 20, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Sweden's Armand Duplantis bites his gold medal as he celebrates winning the men's pole vault final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Harlow)

2025 Record: 5-7

Baylor coach Dave Aranda likely can’t survive another losing season. If not for the unexpected resignation of the school’s athletic director late last season, Aranda might not have been back with the Bears for this one.

They are going into Aranda’s seventh season with a new quarterback (Florida transfer and Texas native DJ Lagway), a lot of new receivers and a new defensive coordinator (Joe Klanderman from Kansas State).

Aranda has a 36-37 record after going 5-7 last season, when the Bears lost five of their last six games and finished with a three-game losing streak. The last two losses came after AD Mack Rhoades resigned for personal reasons and school president Linda Livingstone said Aranda would stay for 2026.

Baylor is 22-28 since a school-record 12 wins with a Big 12 title and Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss in 2021, Aranda’s second season. The only winning record since was 8-5 in 2024, when the Bears won their last six regular-season games amid questions even then about the coach’s future.

Aranda was coming off an undefeated national championship season as LSU's defensive coordinator when he got the Baylor job. The Bears last season allowed 32.6 points a game, while they scored 31.1 and had a Power Four high 24 turnovers. Aranda is giving defensive play-calling duties to Klanderman.

Even after leading rusher Bryson Washington transferred to Auburn, which is Baylor’s season-opening opponent in Atlanta on Sept. 5, the Bears have a deep and talented group of running backs.

Caden Knighten ran for 469 yards last season and his 11 catches for 134 yards lead all returning players. Dawson Pendergrass is back after missing all last season with a foot injury. As a true freshman in 2023, Pendergrass ran for 338 yards with five TDs, and in a two-man rotation with 1,000-yard rusher Washington in 2024 had 671 yards with six TDs. Michael Turner as a true freshman last year ran for 320 yards in eight games.

The Bears’ up-tempo spread offense lost more than graduated quarterback Sawyer Robertson after his 61 touchdown passes in 30 games and consecutive 3,000-yard seasons. The top five receivers from last year are also gone.

There are six new receivers on the roster, including transfers Dre’lon Miller (from Colorado) and Gavin Freeman (from Oklahoma State). Jadon Porter’s nine catches for 85 yards last season were the most for the returners.

Lagway started 19 of his 24 games at Florida the past two seasons, throwing for 4,179 yards, 28 TDs and 23 interceptions before transferring to his father’s alma mater.

Lagway (transfer from Florida), Miller (transfer from Colorado), DE/LB Ryan Davis (transfer from Kansas State), OL Logan Moore (transfer from UAB), DL Hosea Wheeler (transfer from Indiana).

WR Josh Cameron, QB Sawyer Robertson, LB Keaton Thomas (transferred to Ole Miss), Washington (transferred to Auburn), PK Connor Hawkins (transferred to Ohio State).

vs. Auburn in Atlanta (Sept. 5), vs. TCU (Oct. 17), vs. No. 12 Texas Tech (Nov. 21).

AP college football: Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

FILE - Baylor running back Caden Knighten runs the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Baylor and Auburn Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, file)

FILE - Baylor head coach Dave Aranda stands with players during a timeout during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tanner Pearson, file)