The pole vault family – Manolo Karalis

It’s something special to win a global medal, but to do so surrounded by family takes things to another level.

At the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, Emmanouil ‘Manolo’ Karalis secured silver in a competition of record depth. The standard was high, and so was the level of support from the “pole vault family”.

“We’re travelling together, we’re eating together, we’re competing together – we’re family,” he says in an exclusive World Athletics video feature.

“We’re doing the thing that we love the most, together. That’s the most important thing for me.

“We have this term – it’s called the ‘pole vault family’. I want to keep our pole vaulting family close.”

The camaraderie was clear in Tokyo, where Mondo Duplantis soared 6.30m to get gold and set the 14th world pole vault record of his career, Karalis cleared 6.00m to secure silver and Kurtis Marschall made it over 5.95m to clinch bronze on countback.

It was the first time that seven men had ever cleared 5.90m or higher in a single competition, and the first time that 5.95m had not been enough for a medal.

“I knew that it would be a nice battle,” adds Karalis, the Olympic bronze medallist and two-time world indoor medallist. “I was nervous at the beginning because I have been to four World Championships and I hadn’t made any finals.”

The behind-the-scenes video feature follows his journey in Tokyo – from qualification and the call room through to the final and medal ceremony.

Sharing insight into his call room experience and the camaraderie, Karalis explains: “We’re not talking about competition at all, we’re just talking about whatever. We’re just having fun and enjoying ourselves because we know that we’re going out to do what we love the most.”

The Greek star also reflects on his relationship with Duplantis, from the 2015 World U18 Championships in Cali – where Duplantis got gold and Karalis claimed bronze – through to his first World Championships final in Tokyo a decade later.

“We’re friends with Mondo, we’re good friends – we’re family,” says Karalis, who was captured practicing his sprint starts against Sam Kendricks before Duplantis attempted his latest world record in Tokyo, to see who could rush to celebrate with him first.

“Everyone knew that tonight was the night that he was going to make it,” he adds. “I said: ‘Mondo, come on now. Just do it, and let’s go home.’

“And he said: ‘Watch this.’”

Duplantis managed 6.30m on his third and final attempt and it was Karalis who got to him first, as the pole vault family came together in celebration.

“It was like a big party,” says Karalis. “He jumped, we rushed – we were so happy for him. It was an amazing moment to share with him.

“Those moments are the moments that stay – the friendship, all those amazing moments that you have with those guys. The friendship and the love and the compassion – that’s the most important medal that I ever had in my whole career.”

Interview and video production by Marta Gorczyńska for World Athletics