Duplantis misses record in Budapest; Tharp dominates hurdles

Budapest's National Athletics Centre saw mixed fortunes for star athletes on July 14, 2026, during the final stage of the Continental Gold Tour. Swedish pole vault sensation Armand Duplantis, who had previously set a world record of 6.29 meters at this venue in 2025, failed to add another mark to his record collection.

Duplantis cleared 6.07 meters, but his subsequent attempts at 6.32 meters were unsuccessful. After his first miss, he appeared to ponder his technique, but neither his second nor third jumps were enough to clear the bar, leaving him without a new world record in Budapest.

In contrast, American hurdler Ja'Kobe Tharp celebrated a dominant victory in the 110m hurdles. Tharp, who recently set a new world record of 12.75 seconds on June 10, competed in Europe for the first time. He crossed the finish line in 12.85 seconds, a meeting record, with enough time to glance at the camera and gesture towards the ground in celebration. His compatriot and Olympic champion Cordell Tinch finished third with 13.06 seconds, his best time of the year.

The women's 100 meters also drew attention, featuring Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah against Saint Lucian athlete Julien Alfred. Thompson-Herah, a double Olympic champion, finished fourth with 11.04 seconds in her return to competition after a break in 2025. Alfred secured the win with a season's best of 10.87 seconds.

In the men's long jump, Greek athlete Miltiadis Tentoglou, who had achieved the world's best mark of 8.61 meters in Monaco the previous Friday, won the event with a jump of 8.31 meters. The men's 800 meters saw the 2026 debut of Algerian Djamel Sedjati, an Olympic bronze medalist.