Mondo Duplantis enjoyed another successful season in 2026, but it also came with a few setbacks. His 40-meet winning streak ended when Kurtis Marschall handed him his first defeat in three years in Stockholm. But Duplantis responded by winning his fourth straight European outdoor title. Then, another setback came when leg tightness forced him to miss the Diamond League Final. He also fell short of another world record at the Ultimate Championship. Now, after a demanding season, Duplantis has decided to take a break from the 2027 indoor season as he prepares for the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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On October 2, Duplantis announced that he would not compete during the 2027 indoor season. “I am making this decision to give my body the recovery and preparation time it needs so that I can perform at my peak when I return to competition,” he said in a statement. That means he will also miss the European Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, in March.
The decision comes after Duplantis dealt with recurring problems in his leg during the 2026 season. The issue first became noticeable at the London Diamond League in July, when he felt discomfort in the front of his left thigh after clearing 5.95m. He had his thigh wrapped by the medical team and decided not to continue. Duplantis later explained that the problem had started a few days earlier after a competition in Budapest and became worse after his 5.95m attempt in London.
There was some relief soon after. An examination that included an MRI and X-ray found no injury to his groin or back, according to his agent Daniel Wessfeldt. Duplantis was expected to recover with lighter training and treatment, allowing him to continue with his planned schedule for the European Championships. Duplantis did return to competition and went on to win the European title in Birmingham with a championship-record 6.15m. But the problem resurfaced later in the summer.
After the recurring tightness returned around the Zurich Diamond League, he withdrew from the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 4 as a precaution. He did not want to risk making the problem worse. Still, Duplantis finished the season on a winning note. He returned a week later at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest and won the pole vault with 6.20m. He then attempted 6.32m for another world record but could not clear the bar.
Despite those setbacks, Duplantis believes 2026 was a very good season. “I’ve had a fantastic season this year. I love pole vaulting and I want to keep pushing myself to the limit to clear even higher bars,” he said. However, he also admitted that the season had been demanding because of the heavy competition schedule during the summer. At the same time, Duplantis had plenty to celebrate in 2026.
In March, he raised his own world record to 6.31m at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala, improving the mark by one centimetre. It was the 15th world record of his career. Then, in August, he won his fourth consecutive European outdoor title in Birmingham. His winning clearance of 6.15m also set a new European Championships record.
Now, instead of rushing back into competition early next year, Duplantis plans to, “Focus…on training well and preparing for the 2027 outdoor season, which runs from early May to the World Championships in mid-September.” For Duplantis, the priority now is recovery and preparation, but his bigger goal is already clear: Los Angeles 2028.
Duplantis eyes a third Olympic Gold
After winning Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, Duplantis plans to make his return to LA28, looking to defend his title and chase a third straight Olympic gold medal.
Duplantis has already spoken openly about his ambitions for the Games. In a May 2025 CNN Sports interview, he said, “I do still have that confidence that going into the 2028 Olympic Games in LA, I’m going to be in even better shape. I can jump even higher.” He echoed that ambition later in 2025, saying, “I want to make sure that I’m in my best form to be there and try to do something huge, like I did in Paris.”
His 2026 season also showed why those ambitions remain high. Duplantis won 11 of his 13 completed competitions and finished second twice, while also raising his own world record to 6.31m in Uppsala. The season, though, did not go without its difficulties.
His first major setback came in June in Stockholm on June 7, when Kurtis Marschall defeated him, who put an end to Duplantis’ amazing 40-meet victory streak. Marschall won the competition while Duplantis cleared 5.80m, handing him his first defeat since 2023.
After a rapid recovery, Duplantis suffered another setback in London on July 18. He finished second on 5.95m, but discomfort in his left thigh forced him to stop rather than risk aggravating the problem. Despite those setbacks, Duplantis continued to produce major results throughout the season.