Duplantis dominance under threat as Karalis reaches new heights

EMMANOUIL KARALIS, a Greek pole vaulter, has emerged as a formidable challenger to Mondo Duplantis, the Olympic and world champion. At the Zurich Diamond League, both athletes attempted the world record on the same day. Duplantis set the pace at 6.15 metres, but Karalis responded with a personal best of 6.20. Karalis then raised the bar to 6.32, just one centimetre above Duplantis' world record.

Despite reaching this height with his second attempt, Duplantis threw the bar in frustration after failing to clear it on his third attempt. Karalis, who previously set the record at 6.17 at the Greek indoor championships, believes the difference between the heights is mostly mental. He expressed happiness for attempting to break the record.

Karalis has achieved this milestone before, becoming the second-highest pole vaulter in history with a 6.17 jump. The two 26-year-olds have faced each other for over a decade, with Duplantis winning 49 out of their 50 meetings. However, the Greek now appears to have arrived, and their final two events of the season could bring an upset, with the Diamond League final in Brussels and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest on the horizon.