In the era of Mondo Duplantis, Emmanouil Karalis wins his maiden Diamond League final title

In the era of Mondo Duplantis, it takes something special to win a Diamond League final. On Friday night, Emmanouil Karalis got his moment.

With Duplantis forced to withdraw from the Wanda Diamond League final in Brussels due to a minor leg injury, Karalis seized the opportunity and cleared 6.12 metres to win his maiden Diamond League final title at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme.

And he did it by breaking a meeting record set by the man who has dominated pole vaulting like few athletes have dominated any event. Duplantis had set the Brussels meeting record at 6.11m in 2024. Karalis went one centimetre higher on Saturday, clearing 6.12m to cap a memorable night for the Greek vaulter.

“I’m living my dreams,” Karalis said after the victory.

KARALIS WINS HIS MAIDEN DIAMOND LEAGUE FINAL

The 6.12m clearance was enough to give Karalis the biggest title of his Diamond League career, but the circumstances made the victory particularly significant. For much of his career, the 27-year-old has had to compete in the shadow of Duplantis, the Swedish world-record holder who has turned the pole vault into his own playground.

Karalis, however, was not interested in wondering what might have been.

“I would have loved to have fought out a thrilling duel with Mondo, but unfortunately injuries are just part and parcel of our sport,” he said.

“His withdrawal gave someone else the chance to win, and I’m absolutely delighted that I seized that opportunity.”

Karalis certainly made the most of it.

The Greek produced a 6.12m clearance to secure the title and, in the process, put his name alongside one of the many records that Duplantis has accumulated during his extraordinary career. For Karalis, though, the significance went far beyond the height he cleared.

“This is my first victory in a Diamond League final, a trophy that symbolises the fact that I’m currently living my dreams.”

There was another reason the victory felt particularly special. The Allianz Memorial Van Damme was packed with Greek supporters, turning Brussels into something of a home stadium for the surprise winner.

“The stadium was packed with Greeks. It’s incredible how many of my compatriots were here tonight,” Karalis said.

“This year I’ve received support and appreciation from all over the world, and that makes this period in my career extra special. I’m immensely grateful to be where I am today.”

WHY DID DUPLANTIS WITHDRAW?

For Duplantis, meanwhile, the decision to withdraw was a difficult one.

The Swede had been dealing with a leg problem that first surfaced in London. He said the issue had settled before returning during the Diamond League meeting in Zurich, where he continued competing despite the pain.

“The problem with my leg started in London,” Duplantis explained. “Since then, it’s actually felt fine and I’ve put a lot of work into it, but in Zurich the pain came back. I carried on anyway, probably pushing myself a bit too hard.”

Duplantis had been hoping to compete in Brussels, but made the decision during the warm-up that it was not worth risking the injury.

“I’d told myself I wouldn’t jump if I felt that irritation again during the warm-up. That’s why I took the difficult decision not to compete,” he said.

“The worst thing that can happen is having to withdraw from a competition. The fans wanted to see a great show, and I would have loved to give them that.”

His absence robbed the competition of the duel that many had expected to see. Instead, it opened the door for Karalis to produce one of the biggest victories of his career.

And the Greek did more than simply walk through that door. He cleared a height that had previously belonged to Duplantis and left Brussels with his first Diamond League final title.

For Duplantis, there is now a question over whether he will be fit for next week's Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

“It’s incredibly difficult, but that’s life, and that’s the life of an athlete too. There’s a lot going through my mind. I’m trying to stay calm and positive,” he said.

“Whether I’ll make it to next week’s Ultimate Championships in Budapest remains to be seen. At the moment, I don’t have an answer to that.”

For one night in Brussels, though, the pole vault belonged to someone else. No Mondo Duplantis. Manolo Karalis instead.