Greek pole vault star Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.16 meters in Lausanne on Thursday, setting a new Greek outdoor record in a remarkable duel with world record holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis.
Karalis finished second at the Diamond League city event after Duplantis cleared 6.21 meters, but the Greek athlete produced the best outdoor jump of his career and the second-highest clearance of his career overall. The competition made pole vault history. It was the first time two athletes had cleared 6.16 meters or higher in the same competition, according to the organizers of the Athletissima meeting.
Emmanouil Karalis pushes Duplantis to 6.21 meters and secures a Greek record
Karalis cleared 6.16 meters to surpass his previous Greek outdoor record of 6.08 meters, set in Volos in August 2025. His overall personal best remains the 6.17 meters he achieved indoors earlier this year. The Greek athlete’s performance put real pressure on Duplantis, who had to clear 6.21 meters to secure victory. The Swedish world record holder succeeded before making unsuccessful attempts at 6.32 meters, which would have added another centimeter to his world record of 6.31 meters.
Karalis then attempted 6.26 meters but was unable to clear the height. Australia’s Kurtis Marschall finished third with 5.91 meters. The Lausanne contest was staged beside Lake Geneva at the Athletissima City Event, where more than five thousand spectators watched two of the greatest pole vaulters in history go head-to-head.
A historic night for pole vault
The result further highlighted Karalis’ extraordinary 2026 season and his emergence as the only active athlete consistently capable of challenging Duplantis at heights above six meters. Before Lausanne, the Diamond League had described Karalis as the second-highest pole vaulter in history and the only athlete other than Duplantis to have previously cleared higher than 6.16 meters.
The two athletes had already met several times at major competitions, including the recent European Athletics Championships, where Duplantis took gold and Karalis won silver.
Related: Emmanouil Karalis Wins Bronze in Pole Vault at Paris Olympics
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