Emmanuel Karalis became the first Greek athlete to clear the 6-meter mark in pole vault, setting a new national record at the Diamond League event in Poland. The bronze medalist from the Paris Olympics exceeded 6.00 meters, becoming the 29th athlete worldwide to achieve this feat.
“I can’t believe I just broke the 6-meter barrier!” the Greek pole vaulter exclaimed right after the competition. “I made incredible jumps! I’ve believed all year that I could do it, and today I finally did. I’m very satisfied.”
Reflecting on his season, Karalis added, “When the season started, I believed I could clear 6.00 meters, but I didn’t expect to win a medal at the Olympics or in other major events. Reaching 6.00 meters is unbelievable. Everything was perfect today, and I am in love with Poland and this stadium. I started my season here, and reaching 6 meters in Poland was amazing; it will stay in my heart. I’ve been training with Piotr Lisek and other Polish athletes, so it’s great that it happened here.”
When asked about Armand Duplantis’ new world record of 6.26 meters, Karalis said, “I’ve seen almost all of Mondo’s world records; he’s incredible! I grew up with Mondo, and I hope one day to surpass him. Now, I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong and returning home.”
Karalis cleared 5.62 meters, 5.72 meters, and 5.82 meters on his first attempts. After a failed jump at 5.92 meters, he succeeded on his second attempt, surpassing his previous national record by one centimeter. Then, he decided to raise the bar to 6.00 meters. After two unsuccessful attempts, he finally made it on his third, joining the elite group of athletes who have “touched” 6.00 meters in pole vault.
After achieving the jump of his life and improving his personal best by seven centimeters, Karalis withdrew from the competition.
The event also witnessed a new world record by the usual suspect, Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who cleared 6.26 meters. American Sam Kendricks finished second with 6.00 meters, as the Polish audience saw the top three from the Paris Olympics shine again in the Chorzów stadium.
Duplantis’ previous world record of 6.25 meters, set just 20 days ago at the Paris Olympics, was short-lived. The Swedish track and field superstar surpassed 6.26 meters at the Diamond League meeting in Chorzów, Poland, breaking the record he had set on August 5th in Paris.
This marks the 10th world record Duplantis has set since February 2020, when he cleared 6.17 meters on Polish soil (in Toruń), surpassing Renaud Lavillenie’s 6.16 meters.
