Duplantis soars to victory in Lausanne, falls short of world mark

Sweden's Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.21 metres to win the Lausanne Diamond League pole vault on Thursday, narrowly missing two world-record attempts in a strong performance following a few shaky weeks. Emmanouil Karalis of Greece finished second with a height of 6.16 metres, while Australia's Kurtis Marschall secured third place with a clearance of 5.91 metres.

Duplantis had not lost a pole vault competition in three years until June, when he suffered a setback, and then retired from the London Diamond League in July due to a groin issue. At the Lausanne event, Duplantis and Karalis both achieved the height of 6.16 metres. Overcoming the challenge on his initial attempt, Duplantis achieved a personal best of 6.21, while Karalis missed twice at that height before successfully clearing 6.26, a height that would have been a significant personal best.

Following Karalis' attempt, Duplantis celebrated his friend's efforts by hugging him. Despite his failed attempt to surpass the 6.32-metre mark, Duplantis admitted feeling tired but expressed overall happiness and satisfaction with the competition, praising the outstanding performances of his peers. The Swedish athlete, who has broken the world record an impressive 15 times, is now preparing to set his sights on the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest next month, with a focus on further refining his performance.