Kurtis Marschall ended Mondo Duplantis’ 40-game hitting streak in the Stockholm Diamond League

Australian Marshal Kurtis (AP Photo) The place where Armand “Mondo” Duplantis soared to another world record a year ago became the scene of a rare defeat on Sunday as the Swedish superstar’s remarkable winning streak finally came to an end at the Stockholm Diamond League.Competing in front of a home crowd at Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium, Duplantis finished second to Australia’s Kurtis Marschall to cap an extraordinary streak of 40 consecutive victories. The Swede cleared 5.80m while Marschall secured victory with a best jump of 5.90m to claim his first Diamond League title.It was Duplantis’ first defeat since the Monaco Diamond League in July 2023, where he finished fourth with a distance of 5.72m. Interestingly, Marschall also finished ahead of him on that occasion to take third place.During the nearly three-year period between those two defeats, Duplantis put together one of the most dominant stretches in track and field history. The Olympic champion won two outdoor world titles, two indoor world championships, multiple Diamond League crowns and Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. He also broke the pole vault world record ten times during that period, improving it from 6.23m to the current mark of 6.31m.Back on home soil, however, the Swede endured an unusually difficult evening. He missed his opening attempt at 5.60m and later failed twice at 6.00m and once at 6.05m, ending his hopes of extending his winning streak.Despite the disappointment, Duplantis was gracious in defeat and was quick to credit his Australian rival.“I felt a bit unfocused today and I really didn’t want to lose here in front of my family and fans. What 3 years I haven’t lost? But hats off to Kurtis who beat me today fair and square. I’m not angry and I’ll continue to enjoy my time here in Stockholm with my family. I’m getting married soon too,” replied Mondos and had bad luck in sports – luck in love replied Mondos? loss.For Marshall, the victory represented a breakthrough moment after years of racing in the shadow of the sport’s dominant figure.“I didn’t want to spoil (Mondo’s) show but I’m so pleased with the win. It took a long time to get my first win in the Diamond League and I really thought it would never come here with Mondo. This stadium is fantastic and the crowd has been amazing despite Mondo’s support. We know he’ll be back because he won’t be happy to be beaten,” Kurtis told me, building on that!The Aussie admitted he had hoped to clear higher altitudes but found the conditions challenging.“I wanted to go higher today, but the wind was strong at times. I think I was lucky with the wind outside at 5:90. I will go to Oslo now, but the conditions there don’t look promising, so we’ll see. Track and field wouldn’t be where it is without Mondo, so we’re so lucky to have him in our sport,” he said.While the result denied Stockholm fans another Duplantis celebration, it was a reminder that even the greatest winning streaks eventually come to an end. It was a career-defining triumph for Marshall. It was a rare setback for Duplantis in a career that continues to redefine what is possible in the pole vault.