The pole vault competition of the ages at the BAUHAUS gala?

Despite the torrential rain last year, thousands of people gathered in the Stockholm stadium's pole vault curve to watch Armand Duplanti's world record attempt. This year he's coming back and he's bringing the rest of the world's elite with him.

Already in the first competition of the year, Armand Duplantis set a world record. He then followed it up with another 6m jump in Shanghai and has once again proven his status as the best pole vaulting pair of all time.

At the BAUHAUS gala, he will face the runners-up and runners-up from the WC in Budapest, Ernest Obiena and Chris Nielsen. Both Nielsen and Obiena have personal bests over six meters and Nielsen jumped it as recently as last winter.

In addition, double world champion and American record holder Sam Kendricks will come to the Stadium. Kendricks was the last to beat Duplantis in a global final and was also the one who took the American record from Duplantis when he jumped 6.06 five years ago.

Despite Stockholm Stadium's 122-year history, no world record in pole vaulting has yet been set at the arena. The stadium record is held by Armand Duplantis himself at 6.16. A jump he made at the BAUHAUS gala two years ago. Then the sun shone and the stands were well filled. If there are similar conditions this year, it may well be higher.

Four of the jumpers in this year's competition have personal bests over six meters and five of them have won a WC medal. Three of them are also on the top ten all-time list of those who jumped the highest, Armand Duplantis, Chris Nielsen and Sam Krendricks.

The start list could have been taken from an Olympic final when the top five of the world's best pole vaulters gather at Stockholm Stadium on June 2nd.