Greek athletics celebrated a significant victory at the European Championship in Rome, with Emmanouil Karalis clinching the silver medal in the pole vault. The 24-year-old athlete delivered an outstanding performance, setting a personal best of 5.87m to secure second place, just behind the dominant Armand Duplantis, who cleared 6.10m.
The bronze medal was awarded to Turkey’s Sasma, who cleared 5.82m.
Karalis entered the competition at 5.50m, clearing it on his first attempt. He then smoothly advanced to 5.65m and 5.75m. In most circumstances, these heights would have been decisive, but on Thursday, nine athletes surpassed them.
The pole vault was the final event of the European Championship in Rome, captivating the spectators in attendance.
After placing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and narrowly missing the final in Munich two years ago, Karalis faced challenges in Budapest last year, failing to clear the initial height in the qualifiers despite being a favorite.
This year, however, showed promise from his first competitions. Karalis won the bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships this winter and arrived in Rome having competed three times at 5.72m. In Rome, he improved his personal best to 5.87m.
Karalis secured Greece’s second men’s pole vault medal since Christos Papanikolaou’s silver in Budapest in 1966, demonstrating his potential to consistently reach the podium in future competitions.
Greek team members who remained in Rome gathered at the Olympic Stadium to celebrate Karalis’ remarkable achievement. Greece concluded the event with three medals, following Tentoglou’s gold and Stefanidi’s silver.
