Olympic pole vault champion Armand Duplantis and 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm go head-to-head in a brilliant 100m sprint exhibition – but who scored an outrageous victory?

It’s not often that professional athletes crossover sports, but when they do it can yield ridiculously surprising results as was the case when Olympic pole vault champion Armand Duplantis raced 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm in a 100m sprint.

The pair agreed to the bizarre exhibition race that took place in Zurich, Switzerland on Wednesday evening in front of a crowd that was eager to see the two sports stars go head-to-head in a one-of-a-kind race.

Duplantis and Warholm are friends away from the track, but pitted their skills against one another in a ace that explored who was the fastest in a 100m sprint format.

There was an expectation that Warholm’s sprinting experience would make him better-suited to the format, but a blistering performance by Duplantis stunned viewers watching online and in attendance.

Pole vault star Duplantis successfully defended his Olympic title in Paris just a few weeks ago, but has demonstrated that he may be in with another chance of a medal in the men’s most popular sprint format.

The pair are good friends but wanted to race each other in a one-of-a-kind sprint in Zurich

Duplantis (right) won the race as Warholm (left) struggled to keep pace in the sprint

A blistering start out the blocks saw him take an early lead that Warholm was never able to claw back despite both clocking in finish times under 11 seconds.

The Swedish pole vault champion finished strong to record a time of 10.37, with his Norwegian counterpart was close behind with a 10.47 finish. 

Both times would have been enough for each to qualify for the preliminary round of the men’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

‘I’m pretty fired up. How could I not be? I mean, come on, stop playing with me,’ said a beaming Duplantis after his crossover victory.

Duplantis previously became a gold medal Olympic champion in Paris just a few weeks ago

Meanwhile, Warholm was humble in defeat, stating: ‘I got to give it to Mondo, he beat me, fair and square, so it was a great race,’ said Warholm, 28.

‘He was out the blocks fast. He was out really sharp.’

The occasion featured a comic walkout from both competitiors as they emerged onto the track at the Letzigrund Stadium wearing red and blue robes that are more commonly seen in boxing.

However, there brief sprinting spell is short-lived as both now turn their attention to competing in their usual formats in the Diamond League on Thursday.