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Emmanouil Karalis and Armand Duplantis have been following each other throughout their careers, but they have never faced each other at BAUHAUS-galan – until now. On June 15, the world’s two best pole vaulters will take to the Stockholm stadium in a red-hot duel.
– It will be a lot of fun to meet Mondo for the first time at BAUHAUS-galan. Competing against him in his home arena means a lot. He is not only a world record holder – he is also a very good friend of mine. I look forward to pushing each other to new heights, says Karalis.
Karalis and Duplantis, both born in 1999, have competed against each other a total of 31 times. The first time was in 2015 at the Junior World Championships in Cali. That time “Mondo” won gold in 5.30, and Karalis bronze in 5.20.
At senior level, Duplantis has long been completely dominant on the world stage, but recently Karalis has emerged as the biggest challenger. Last year he raised his mark by a full 14 cm and cleared 6 meters for the first time in his career. Then came his first medal at an international senior outdoor championship with the Olympic bronze in Paris.
In 2025, the Greek has shown that he jumps at a different level than before. No less than five times he has been over six meters, and 6.05 at the IVM in China meant silver behind Duplantis and seventh place all time. Two years ago, there was a 37 cm difference between Karalis and Duplantis. Now there is a 22 cm difference.
Now the two top-ranked pole vaulters will face each other at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium on June 15 – for the first time at BAUHAUS-galan.
