Mondo Duplantis wins Budapest Ultimate Championship as Emmanouil Karalis takes second with 6.15m

Competition in Budapest

The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship concluded in Budapest on 11 September 2026, assembling elite track and field competitors for the season finale. In the men's pole vault competition, Sweden's Armand Duplantis and Greece's Emmanouil Karalis contested the top position. Karalis opened the contest with clean first-attempt clearances at 5.60 meters, 5.80 meters, and 5.95 meters without recording any misses. The 26-year-old Greek athlete encountered difficulty at 6.05 meters, missing his first two attempts before clearing the height on his third attempt to secure a top-two position and remain in contention for the title.

The duel at 6.15 meters and beyond

The decisive phase of the final unfolded when Karalis cleared 6.15 meters on his first attempt, temporarily taking the lead. Duplantis responded immediately by clearing 6.15 meters, keeping the advantage on countback due to having fewer missed attempts earlier in the competition. The Swedish athlete then cleared 6.20 meters on his next attempt. Karalis failed on his single attempt at 6.20 meters and subsequently elected to move the bar up to 6.25 meters in an effort to establish a new Greek national record. Karalis was unable to clear the height on two attempts at 6.25 meters, concluding the competition with Duplantis taking the victory.

Financial rewards at the Ultimate Championship

The newly established World Athletics Ultimate Championship introduced an elevated prize fund for participating athletes across all disciplines. For winning the men's pole vault competition, Duplantis collected a first-place prize of $150,000. Karalis earned $75,000 (equivalent to 64,675 euros) for his second-place finish. The prize structure distributed $40,000 to the third-place finisher, $25,000 to fourth place, $16,000 to fifth place, and $14,000 to sixth place.

Karalis closes out his 2026 campaign

The Budapest final concluded the 2026 competitive season for Karalis, marking the fifth time during the calendar year that he cleared 6.10 meters or higher. His previous clearances above that threshold in 2026 took place at the Greek Indoor Championships in Paiania on 28 February (6.17 meters), the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on 20 August (6.16 meters), the Diamond League meeting in Zurich on 27 August (6.20 meters), and the Diamond League Final in Brussels on 4 September (6.12 meters). The 6.20-meter clearance in Zurich remains the Greek national record.

The performance in Budapest added to a series of podium finishes for Karalis across the 2026 season. His results during the year included gold medals at the Greek Indoor Championships in Paiania on 28 February, the Greek Outdoor Championships in Volos on 25 July, and the Diamond League Final in Brussels on 4 September. He also earned silver medals at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun on 20 March and the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on 10 August, before taking silver in Budapest on 11 September.