Armand Duplantis Wins Pole Vault at Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai
Thibaut Simon, Media365: published on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Armand Duplantis emerged victorious in the pole vault on Saturday with a height of 6.12m. The Swedish athlete did not break the world record, but it was a successful first outing.
Unsurprisingly, Armand Duplantis came out on top in Shanghai at the Diamond League meeting. For his summer debut, the Swedish athlete did not disappoint, winning the pole vault competition with a height of 6.12m. After smoothly clearing 5.60m, 5.80m, and 6.00m (all on the first attempt), Duplantis set a new meeting record. However, it was the world record that the crowd, as well as the four-time world champion, was eagerly anticipating. With a height of 6.31m cleared last March, the 16th record was ultimately not broken. Two failed attempts at 6.32m and a final try lacking enough commitment to hope for achieving the ultimate goal. The athlete, undefeated since July 2023, still achieved his objective.
“I love jumping in this stadium. The 6.12m jump was good, I am happy to have broken the meeting record, that was the main goal. The attempts for the world record were decent, but we will do better next year. I will relax, go back to Monaco, and prepare for the next competition,” Duplantis shared at the end of the event. Behind him, his main rival, Greek athlete Emmanouil Karalis, did not succeed. He failed at 5.80m and then at 5.90m. Only a jump at 5.70m was validated, but on the third attempt. Second place went to Australian athlete Kurtis Marschall with a height of 5.80m.
Collet takes third place in the competition
The good news of the day comes from Thibaut Collet. The French athlete secured third place in the competition with a height of 5.70m (cleared on the first attempt). Making his season debut as well, he was satisfied with his performance. Behind Duplantis and Curtis, it was the native of La Tronche who shone in China. Before heading to Paris on June 28, the Isère athlete will compete in Oslo (June 10) and Doha (June 19), as part of the Diamond League. “It is a good start with some strange sensations. The performance wasn’t as high as I had hoped despite feeling good physically the day before and the day of the meeting. Nevertheless, it is still a third place in the Diamond League. It’s a great achievement to build on for the season’s goals, with Budapest in sight. It’s quite promising,” he commented.
