Just when a few chinks appear in his armour, Mondo Duplantis seals them effectively, leaving his rivals to fight for the minor places. The Swedish superstar once again showed why he can single-handedly decide his own fate at a championship.
At the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 on Friday (11), Duplantis added another prestigious title to his collection by clearing 6.20m to the sounds of his own song, Gold, the Ultimate Anthem, which he wrote and recorded.
The 26-year-old produced a perfect scorecard through his winning height before taking three attempts at a world record of 6.32m. A clearance would have marked his 16th world record, but the chilly Friday evening at the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre denied him that opportunity.
Even so, the title was safely secured. Duplantis added the Ultimate crown to his two Olympic titles, three world gold medals and four world indoor victories.
Karalis Pushes Duplantis
Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis mounted a fierce challenge, clearing 6.15m to finish second.
Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen took third on countback after also clearing 6.15m. Kurtis Marschall and Zach Bradford matched the height.
The result created just the second competition in history — and the first outdoors — where five athletes cleared 5.95m or higher.
Duplantis Returns to Budapest
Budapest holds special significance for Duplantis.
It was the site of his second world title and the setting for his 13th world record. He also returned to competition after withdrawing from the Diamond League Final due to leg tightness.
His opening campaign was smooth.
Duplantis cleared 5.60m on his first attempt before passing at 5.80m. He then cleared 5.95m, 6.05m and 6.15m on his first attempts.
That left Karalis chasing him all the way.
Karalis Keeps the Pressure On
Karalis, second on the world all-time list with his 6.20m clearance in Zurich, was also managing minor leg and back issues.
He kept his hopes alive by clearing 6.05m on his third and final attempt. He then matched Duplantis at 6.15m with his first attempt.
However, Karalis could not go higher.
He failed once at 6.20m and twice at 6.25m, bringing his challenge to an end.
Duplantis, meanwhile, skipped directly to 6.32m after securing the title.
Before his second attempt at the historic height, pole vault legend Sergey Bubka wished him good luck during a crowd interview.
Duplantis: “This Was a Missing Piece for Me”
Duplantis admitted that the competition brought a mixture of nerves and excitement.
“I approached this event with a combination of a lot of nerves and excitement,” Duplantis said. “This was a missing piece for me, to become the Ultimate champion.”
He also praised Karalis and his team for their season.
“With Manolo (Karalis), I just want to give a huge shout-out to him and his team and give a big hats-off for what they accomplished throughout this year.”
Duplantis believes pole vault has entered an exciting new era.
“Pole vault is always the most exciting event out there, but it is totally different now.”
With the Ultimate title secured, Duplantis can now enjoy some downtime in Budapest.
“I’m going to sing the anthem (Gold) on Sunday, so now I will be enjoying the city and getting some sleep.”