Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis defeated Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis at the Lausanne city event, breaking the meeting record with a 6.21m clearance in a closely contested battle.
Mondo Duplantis and Emmanouil Karalis delivered a captivating display of elite pole vaulting at the Lausanne city event on Thursday, with Duplantis ultimately prevailing in a competitive duel on the shores of Lake Geneva. The Swedish athlete claimed victory by clearing 6.21m on his first attempt, establishing a new meeting record and edging out his Greek counterpart who had matched him through much of the competition.
The two competitors remained tightly matched throughout the contest, both reaching 6.01m in just four combined jumps before the competition intensified. Duplantis initially broke the meeting record at 6.16m, a height Karalis matched moments later. For Karalis, this clearance represented both his highest outdoor jump ever and came within one centimetre of his personal best, prompting celebrations from his support team.
The decisive moment came at 6.21m, where Duplantis succeeded on his opening attempt while Karalis narrowly failed, clipping the bar twice despite getting over it initially. Following his victory, Duplantis announced an attempt at the world record of 6.32m but was unable to clear it, making two unsuccessful bids before concluding his competition.
Both athletes praised the event's competitive atmosphere. Duplantis remarked that the encounter represented the calibre of competition he valued, while Karalis acknowledged putting on a strong performance and expressed hope for another competitive meeting the following year. The event highlighted the remarkable technical level currently demonstrated in elite pole vaulting.
