Pole vault king Mondo Duplantis suffered his first loss in nearly three years

Swedish track and field superstar Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis suffered his first defeat in almost three years on Sunday as Australia’s Kurtis Marschall ended the Olympic champion’s remarkable winning streak at the Stockholm Diamond League.

It was at Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium that Duplantis pleased the home fans when he broke the pole vault world record for the twelfth time last year. However, on Sunday, one of the most dominant runs in modern athletics ended at the same place.

The Olympic and world champion cleared a best distance of 5.80m, finishing second to Marschall, who won the competition with a jump of 5.90m. France’s Baptiste Thiery took third place, also clearing 5.80m.

The result snapped Duplantis’ 40-contest winning streak that spanned nearly three years. The last time the Swede failed to win an event was at the Monaco Diamond League in July 2023, where he finished fourth with a jump of 5.72m. Coincidentally, Marschall also finished ahead of him on that occasion, finishing third in Monaco.

Between those two defeats, Duplantis turned the pole vault into his personal domain. The 26-year-old claimed two outdoor world titles, two indoor world championships, multiple Diamond League crowns and Olympic gold at the Paris Games in 2024. During the same period, he repeatedly increased his own world record, improving his mark from 6.23m to 6.31m with 10 world records.

Sunday’s competition never quite worked out for the Swedish star. Duplantis surprisingly missed his opening attempt at 5.60 and looked out of rhythm all evening. He eventually cleared 5.80m but failed twice at 6.00m and once at 6.05m, ending his campaign prematurely.

The crowd arrived hoping to witness another historic performance after Duplantis set a world record at the Bauhaus-Galan meeting last year. Instead, they saw Marschall seize a rare opportunity to become the first athlete to beat the Swede since Monaco 2023.

Despite the disappointment, Duplantis refused to make excuses and was quick to credit his Australian rival.

“I felt a little out of focus today and I really didn’t want to lose here in front of my family and the fans. I haven’t lost what, three years? But hats off to Kurtis who beat me fair and square today and I have no excuses,” Duplantis said after the contest.

“I’m not mad and I’ll continue to enjoy my time here in Stockholm with my family. I’m also getting married soon, so I’m unlucky in sports – lucky in love, so to speak?” he added with a smile.

For Marshall, the win was one of the biggest moments of his career. The Australian has long established himself as one of the world’s leading pole vaulters, but to surpass Duplantis at the Diamond League meeting, especially in front of the Swede’s home crowd, was a breakthrough achievement.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

07 Jun 2026 23:04 IST