Duplantis Soars to Victory in Lausanne, Falls Just Short of World Mark

Sweden's Mondo Duplantis delivered a commanding performance at the Lausanne Diamond League, soaring to a height of 6.21 meters to secure victory in the men's pole vault on Thursday. While he successfully cleared the winning height on his first attempt, Duplantis narrowly missed breaking his own world record of 6.31 meters on two subsequent tries.

The competition saw Emmanouil Karalis of Greece take second place with a jump of 6.16 meters, a height Duplantis also cleared on his first attempt. Kurtis Marschall of Australia secured third place by clearing 5.91 meters. Karalis made a bold attempt to break the world record himself, raising the bar to 6.26 meters after clearing 6.16 on his second try, but ultimately fell short.

“

I'm tired. But no, I feel really good. I feel really happy. Just such an amazing competition. Everybody jumped so well, and so I just felt like I really had to step it up, and I'm glad I just jumped really well and I jumped really high.

This win marks a positive rebound for Duplantis after a few challenging weeks. He had been beaten for the first time in three years in Stockholm in June, ending a streak of 40 consecutive victories. He also withdrew from the London Diamond League in July due to a groin issue. Duplantis expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating, "I'm tired... But no, I feel really good. I feel really happy. Just such an amazing competition."

Duplantis, who has set the world record an impressive 15 times, will aim to further refine his form ahead of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest next month. The Lausanne event, held at Place de la Navigation on the shores of Lake Geneva, offered fans a close-up view of the action, with many appreciating the venue and the enthusiastic crowd.

“

I really love jumping here, I think this venue is amazing, the city is amazing, all the people who came here are amazing. So yeah, I can't wait to be back next year.