Mondo Duplantis secured his fourth consecutive world indoor title in Toruń, clearing a championship record height to once again stand alone at the top of the podium.
After Australia’s Kurtis Marschall cleared 6.00m to take bronze, the competition for gold narrowed to a head-to-head between Duplantis and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis.
Karalis, motivated by the 6.17m personal best he achieved at his home championships earlier in the season, opted to pass at 6.10m and 6.15m. Duplantis cleared both heights cleanly at the first time of asking to maintain the pressure.
The decisive moment came at 6.20m and beyond. After Karalis was unsuccessful on his first attempt at that height, Duplantis elected to raise the bar to 6.25m. He then cleared it on his first attempt, setting a new championship record and surpassing the previous mark of 6.20m he set in Belgrade in 2022.
Karalis was unable to respond at 6.25m, leaving him to take silver for the third consecutive World Championships, while Duplantis extended his remarkable winning streak.
By Joseph Amanortey Bleyor
