Emmanouil Karalis clears 6.20 metres in Zurich as Armand Duplantis wins with 6.25

Early heights in Zurich

The men's pole vault contest at the Zurich Diamond League on 27 August 2026 began with rapid clearances at the lower heights before narrowing to a direct contest between Armand Duplantis and Emmanouil Karalis. Karalis opened his competition cleanly, clearing 5.50 metres, 5.80 metres, and 5.90 metres on his first attempts. He continued without a miss at 6.00 metres and then cleared 6.10 metres, registering the third-best clearance of his career to that point. Duplantis matched Karalis attempt for attempt, clearing every height up to 6.10 metres on his first vault. Norway's Sondre Guttormsen stayed in contention through 6.00 metres, which he cleared on his second attempt, before dropping out of the competition in third place.

Karalis breaks Greek record at 6.20 metres

The competition changed tactical pace at 6.15 metres when Duplantis cleared the height on his first try. Karalis elected to skip 6.15 metres entirely, raising the bar directly to 6.20 metres to challenge for the lead. On his very first attempt at 6.20 metres, the 26-year-old Greek vaulter cleared the bar cleanly. The jump established a new Greek national record, improving upon his previous national mark of 6.17 metres set at the Greek Indoor Championships in Paiania. The clearance made Karalis only the second athlete in the history of the sport to clear 6.20 metres, a height first reached by Duplantis in 2022 when it served as the world record.

Duplantis responds and secures victory

Duplantis regained the competition advantage on the following height by clearing 6.25 metres on his first attempt. With all other competitors out of the contest, the bar was raised to 6.32 metres, representing an attempt at a new world record. The existing world record of 6.31 metres had been set by Duplantis in March. Both athletes took attempts at 6.32 metres, but neither managed a clearance over the height. Karalis ended the competition in second place with his 6.20-metre jump, while Duplantis took first place based on his 6.25-metre clearance.

A run of six-metre clearances

The Zurich result marked the continuation of an intense competitive sequence for Karalis during the 2026 season. Karalis entered the Swiss meeting following a silver medal performance at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where he also battled Duplantis for the title. Shortly before Zurich, Karalis cleared 6.16 metres at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting, becoming the first vaulter in athletics history to clear 6.16 metres and fail to win the competition.

Historical standing in the pole vault

With his clearance in Zurich, Karalis has now cleared 6.00 metres or higher in 25 separate competitions during his career. The 6.20-metre jump confirmed his position as the number two vaulter of all time, behind only Duplantis on the global performance lists. The Greek Olympic medallist had previously stated his intention to surpass the 6.20-metre threshold in competition, achieving the milestone on the Diamond League circuit ahead of future international championships.