Having secured gold, Duplantis shifted his sights to history. Twice he brushed the bar at 6.30m, before producing his masterpiece on the third attempt — cheered on, remarkably, by silver medallist Karalis himself, who fanned him between jumps and led the crowd in applause.

Mondo Duplantis starts as the undisputed favourite, having set three world records in 2025 Emmanouil Karalis has become history's fourth-highest vaulter this year and Duplantis's toughest opponent Past global champions Renaud Lavillenie and Sam Kendricks also in contention Not only is Mondo Duplantis one of the biggest stars of the sport,

More than 2,200 athletes will see action in the World Athletics Championships scheduled from Sept. 13 to 21 at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.Fil