Armand "Mondo" Duplantis continues to turn pole vaulting into a competition primarily against himself.
At the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, the Swedish superstar jumper claimed his fourth consecutive outdoor European championship title. He secured the victory with a jump of 6,15 meters, simultaneously setting a new European Championship record.
The final took place on 16 August at Alexander Stadium. Duplantis's main rival was the Greek athlete Emmanouil Karalis—one of the few athletes in the world capable of even coming close to Mondo's heights today. Karalis cleared 6,00 meters, but subsequent attempts were unsuccessful. The silver went to him, while the bronze was won by Frenchman Baptiste Thiery with a result of 5,85 meters.
But for Duplantis, one victory was not enough.
First, he cleared 6,10 meters, matching the bar of his own championship record set two years earlier in Rome. Then the Swede raised it even higher — to 6,15 — and cleared it again on his first attempt.
Thus, the European title became another page in his own book of records.
For Duplantis, this is already his fourth consecutive European Championship gold: he won the tournament in 2018, 2022, 2024, and now in the year 2026. After the final, the athlete himself admitted that four consecutive victories seem almost incredible to him and that he tries not to take such successes for granted.
Mondo's unique quality is precisely this: he has long been in a position where simply winning is no longer enough to surprise the public.
In every one of his starts, a different question arises: how high will he jump today?
Before the World Athletics Championships, his world record already stood at 6,31 meters, set in March of 2026. After his victory in Birmingham, the spectators were waiting for another attack on the world record, but this time Duplantis decided to stop after 6,15. (Olympic Games)
This season, his preparation was not entirely smooth. A few weeks before the championship, he withdrew from the competition in London as a precaution, which is why Duplantis himself called his performance in Birmingham a certain test. This made the gold all the more valuable to him.
In recent years, Mondo has changed the very perception of pole vaulting.
Heights that seemed almost fantastic until recently have become part of an ordinary evening when he performs. The bar above six meters no longer looks like a final miracle — for Duplantis, it is often just the beginning of the real show.
And yet, in Birmingham, the main thing was not another world record.
Four European Championships — four consecutive golds.
While other athletes try to get closer to him, Duplantis continues to raise the bar, both literally and figuratively.
And it seems that Mondo's most dangerous rival is still the same one.
It is the height he has not yet cleared.
