Swedish pole vault superstar Mondo Duplantis improved his own championship record to 6.25m to secure his fourth successive world indoor title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 on Saturday (21).

For the first time in history, three athletes surpassed six metres in the same indoor contest – Emmanouil Karalis of Greece cleared 6.05m for silver, while Australia's Kurtis Marschall equalled his PB by clearing 6.00m for bronze.

Duplantis, the world and Olympic champion, was up first in the jumping order and got the competition under way with a first-time clearance at 5.50m. His next vault was at 5.85m, which he again cleared on his first try. Karalis and Marshcall did likewise, maintaining their clear scorecards.

Sondre Guttormsen, Zachery Bradford, Baptiste Thiery, Menno Vloon and Thibaut Collet also went clear at 5.85m. It was the first time that eight men had surpassed 5.85m in the same pole vault competition; remarkable depth given that when the World Indoors was last held in Poland, in 2014, the gold medal was won with 5.80m.

The bar then moved to 5.95m, which Duplantis skipped. Karalis cleared it on his first try, while Marschall had one failed attempt then passed. Guttormsen and Bradford also got over it; Thiery, Vloon and Collet had failed attempts and then moved to the next height.

Duplantis re-entered the contest with the bar at 6.00m, which he got over with ease. Marschall also cleared it on his first try while Karalis needed two attempts to get over it. In total, eight men were still in the competition with the bar at 6.00m, though only three managed to successfully clear it.

Karalis cleared 6.05m to momentarily steal the lead – though only because Duplantis passed that height. Marschall eventually bowed out at that bar, delighted with his bronze.

Duplantis then took command of the contest with first-time clearances at 6.10m and 6.15m. Karalis passed both of those heights and went for 6.20m, albeit unsuccessfully. Duplantis responded with 6.25m – breaking his own championship record and the arena record. Karalis used his two remaining attempts for that height, but ultimately had to settle for arguably the hardest-fought silver medal in pole vault history.

It was Duplantis’s ninth senior global title. The last time he was beaten at a global or continental championships was back in 2019. Since then, he has won 11 major titles.

“Jumping first in the order and having Manolo jump as well as he was made it difficult but also fun and challenging,” said the three-time winner of the World Athlete of the Year Award. “I am proud of the way we jumped and proud to have come through for the win.

“Today, it was about the battle; it was a tough competition and that is why I didn’t go for a world record,” he said. “After all those jumps, it was difficult to go back to back. You only get three minutes on the clock, which is not full rest at all. I had some lactic acid in my legs by that point.

“The arena in Torun has a special place in my heart – it changed my life as this is where I set my first world record,” he added. “It is great to come back here and compete in front of this crowd. Perhaps a few of them saw me set that first record as well. It is not my last competition in Poland this year because I will be coming back for the Diamond League in Silesia.”

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

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