Mondo Duplantis smashed his own meeting record with 6.21m at the pole vault city event in Lausanne on Thursday, following a historic showdown with Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis.
Duplantis clinched victory with a first-time clearance at 6.21m, before making two attempts at a new world record at 6.32m.
The impressive height followed an enthralling battle with Karalis, who remained neck-and-neck with Duplantis until the winning height.
It was the first competition in history where two men had jumped higher than 6.10m.
“I’m tired, that’s what I am! That was just an amazing competition, I really had to step it up,” said Duplantis.
“That’s competition, that’s what we live for. I love to compete against Manolo, especially in a place like this.”
Both men sailed to 6.01m in just four jumps, setting the stage for a dramatic finale amid an electric atmosphere at the Place de la Navigation on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Minutes after Duplantis had broken his own meeting record at 6.16m, Karalis followed him at the same height.
That clearance, which was Karalis’ highest ever outdoor jump and just one centimetre below his personal best, sparked wild celebrations among his team.
The Greek almost went even higher, twice getting over the bar at 6.21m before clipping it on the way own.
Duplantis sailed over 6.21m at the first attempt, prompting a wry smile from his rival.
He then delighted the crowd by announcing a world record attempt, before calling it a day after twice clipping the bar at 6.32m.
“It’s been amazing. I always love competing here. Being able to jump my highest ever bar here is incredible,” said Karalis.
“It was good. It’s always nice to put on a good show. Hopefully we can come here next year and jump as high as Mondo.”
