Duplantis Secures Fourth Consecutive World Indoor Title with 6.25m Vault in Toruń
TORUŃ, Poland – Armand Duplantis claimed his fourth consecutive world indoor championship title on Saturday, achieving a tournament record vault of 6.25 meters in a thrilling competition pushed to its limits by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis.
The victory marks a 10-centimeter improvement on Duplantis’ winning height from the previous year’s event in Nanjing. Both Duplantis and Karalis distinguished themselves from the rest of the field, clearing 6.05 meters.
Duplantis successfully navigated his initial attempts at 6.10m and 6.15m before securing the winning height of 6.25m, though not without a slight wobble of the bar. Karalis, after passing at 6.10m and 6.15m, was unable to clear 6.25m, ultimately finishing as runner-up for the second consecutive year.
Despite the opportunity to surpass his own world record of 6.31 meters – set just last week at the Mondo Classic – Duplantis opted to conclude his competition after the 6.25m clearance. He clarified that the decision to forgo further attempts was made jointly with his coach and father, Greg Duplantis, acknowledging a degree of fatigue.
“We made that decision together,” Duplantis stated. “I felt perfectly fine, but you gain a bit tired when you don’t get to rest there between 6.10 and 6.15. You only have three minutes so there will be some lactic acid.”
The competition proved to be a particularly intense experience for Duplantis’ parents, Greg and Helena, who observed from the stands. According to Helena Duplantis, who likewise serves as her son’s physical trainer, this was the most challenging competition they had witnessed since his first world record in Toruń in 2020.
“He knew it would be tough. But he prepared the competition well so that he would have some energy at the end,” she added.
Karalis’ performance showcased his potential, coming close to clearing both 6.20m and 6.25m before settling for 6.05m. Australia’s Kurtis Marschall secured third place with a personal best of 6.00m, marking the first time in indoor competition history that three vaulters surpassed the six-meter mark.
Elsewhere at the championships, Simon Ehammer of Switzerland reclaimed the heptathlon title with a world record score of 6,670 points, although Zaynab Dosso of Italy won the women’s 60-meter final. Christopher Morales Williams of Canada and Lurdes Gloria Manuel of the Czech Republic claimed victories in the men’s and women’s 400-meter races, respectively, and Josh Kerr of Britain won the men’s 3,000-meter event.
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