Emmanouil Karalis clears personal best at Lausanne Diamond League

On Thursday, August 20, 2026, Greek pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis delivered a historic performance at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne. Karalis successfully cleared 6.16 meters on his second attempt, setting a new personal outdoor record that surpasses his previous 6.08-meter best. His overall personal record remains 6.17 meters, achieved earlier this year at the Panhellenic Indoor Championships in Paiania.

The competition featured a high-level duel with world record holder Armand Duplantis, who cleared 6.16 meters on his first attempt and eventually won the event by clearing 6.21 meters, setting a new meeting record. Following his successful 6.16-meter jump, Karalis attempted to reach 6.21 and 6.26 meters but was unsuccessful. Duplantis, who also attempted to break his own world record at 6.32 meters, praised Karalis’ performance, describing their competition as the best pole vault contest in history and calling the Greek athlete an amazing competitor.

This event follows Karalis' recent silver medal performance at the European Championships in Birmingham. While the competition concluded with Duplantis taking the top spot on the podium, the intensity and technical quality of the duel were widely lauded by both the spectators in Lausanne and the Swedish champion himself.