Armand Duplantis cleared 6.20 meters on 11 September 2026 to win the pole vault final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.15 meters on his first attempt, finishing second and earning a $75,000 prize payout.
The Budapest result marked the fifth competition in 2026 where Karalis vaulted 6.10 meters or higher, following meets in Paiania, Lausanne, Zurich, and Brussels.
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 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.
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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.
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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.
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Armand Duplantis secured first place at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, holding off Greece's Emmanouil Karalis who finished second with a 6.15-meter clearance.
AI text based on reports by NEWS 24/7, iefimerida.gr, H Kαθημερινή and other publishers. Published .