Duplantis edges Karalis to win Lausanne Diamond League pole vault

Lausanne: World record holder Armand Duplantis narrowly defeated Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis to claim victory at the Diamond League pole vault competition on Thursday, clearing 6.21 meters on his first attempt. The double Olympic champion had previously cleared his season's best mark five times, whereas Karalis had to settle for 6.16 meters on his second try.

Both athletes shattered the previous meet record of 6.15 meters. Duplantis expressed his happiness and satisfaction with his performance, stating, "I'm tired but I feel really good, I feel really happy." Despite Karalis' final failed attempt at 6.26 meters, Duplantis initially seemed unsure about improving his world record for the 16th time before finally deciding to do so.

The world record currently stands at 6.31 meters, but Duplantis attempted 6.32 meters twice without success. Duplantis emphasized his love for competition, particularly against Karalis when the latter is at his peak, saying, "I love to compete, I love competing against Manolo, especially when he is on his A-game like this." Karalis, who stayed to witness his rival's attempts to break the world record, expressed his pride in representing this exceptional era of pole vaulting.

After previously winning European silver with a 6.00-meter jump, the 26-year-old Greek athlete expressed his ambition to clear 6.20 meters and perhaps more. The podium featured Australian Kurtis Marschall, who jumped 5.91 meters, placing him alongside Norway's Sondre Guttormsen and American Christopher Nilsen, both of whom had fewer failures than Marschall in the competition.