Greek pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis delivered another outstanding performance against Armand “Mondo” Duplantis in Budapest on Friday with a vault of 6.15m; he secured second place in the final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, bringing his 2026 season to an impressive close.
The Greek champion started strongly, successfully clearing 5.60m, 5.80m, and 5.95m in succession. He had to show great persistence at 6.05m, but after two failed attempts, he managed to clear the bar on his third try, keeping himself in contention.
The pivotal moment came at 6.15m, when Karalis cleared the bar on his first attempt, shaking up the dynamics of the final. Duplantis responded immediately, however, and retained the lead.
At 6.20m—a height that stands as the Greek national record—Karalis was unable to complete a successful vault. He subsequently attempted 6.25m in pursuit of a new national record but was unsuccessful.
Karalis thus concluded his competitive season in second place, once again leaving his mark on a major showdown with the world’s Swedish-American top pole vaulter.
The second head-to-head star competition in three weeks
This was the second competition in three weeks between the world’s two top pole vaulters. On August 20, Karalis and Duplantis competed in the Wanda Diamond League in Lausanne, taking the same position on the podium as Friday.
The “Flying Manolo”, as Greeks call him, finished second in 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.
Karalis cleared 6.16 meters to surpass his previous Greek outdoor record of 6.08 meters he 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-American 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.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
