“I always have this constant motivation to keep pushing and keep trying to show the new people in whatever city.” That’s Mondo Duplantis speaking after Zurich, where he claimed his fifth straight Diamond League pole vault final. Except this one didn’t look like the usual Mondo highlight reel. This was survival. Winning, yes, but in a way that felt like losing ground.

On August 27, Duplantis needed five attempts to clear six meters. That alone says it all. Because this time, after so long, he had a bigger and tougher competition breathing down his neck. For once, someone was there forcing him to dig deeper. That someone was Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis – the Paris 2024 bronze medalist, who just days earlier had claimed his first-ever Diamond League win in Lausanne with a 6.02m at the lakeside city event. And in Zurich, Karalis wasn’t just chasing. He was standing level. As he matched the champion jump for jump. But ultimately Duplantis won the pulsating battle.

After the win, Mondo Duplantis didn’t hesitate to admit just how much he enjoys his new rivalry with Emmanouil Karalis, saying, “Yeah, I mean I think it’s super nice. I think it’s just competition in sports. I think it’s just like, yeah, I mean, he’s jumping really fantastic, and I think it makes me a better jumper this year. He’s been so unbelievable, and I think it’s made me up my game a little bit. I’ve had a great year, just as he’s had an unbelievable year too, by any standout. So yeah, I think it’s super sick that Emmanouil Karalis is pushing the bit to an even higher level with me, and I think that’s good for everybody.” Okay, so the Champion sounds just a little… nervous? Maybe looking over his shoulder a bit? Well, after what happened in Zurich, you can’t blame him. It almost slipped away.

Here’s how it played out: Duplantis opened flawlessly, clearing 5.50, 5.80, 5.90, and 6.00 on first attempts. Karalis didn’t flinch, answering back with his own jumps at 5.65, 5.90, and 6.00. Suddenly, they were side by side, locked in at the top. Then came 6.10, and the bar denied them both. The decision went to countback. Duplantis had fewer misses, and Karalis had two misses at the height, so the gold stayed in Mondo Duplantis’s hands. Countback crowned Duplantis, but the night belonged to more than just the gold. Because when Emmanouil Karalis spoke afterward, it was clear, this rivalry has teeth

The smile that threatens Mondo Duplantis

On August 27, Athletics Weekly dropped a post on X that caught everyone’s eye. Emmanouil Karalis, fresh off pushing Mondo Duplantis to the brink in Zurich, was asked if the rivalry feels real now. He just smiled. “Yes, I mean, we were close. If I had a good attempt on six meters as well… but yes, it was so nice. Hopefully, in Tokyo, we are going to have a very nice battle, so we’ll see. But I’m happy, I’m healthy.” Well, seems like he’s not afraid. He’s ready. And with the Tokyo Championships just a month away, that confidence matters.

Pretty neat, right? Both men hit their personal bests in the same year.

Now, here’s the thing: Duplantis isn’t standing still. Since Paris, he’s raised his own world record four times, the latest coming on August 12 in Budapest with a 6.29m at the Gyulai István Memorial. That’s the bar no one else has touched. Add in five Diamond League trophies, two Olympic titles, and you see why Mondo is still the standard. Even he admits it’s not always automatic: “I am a human being, I do not break world records every day, there are days when I feel decent and others when I feel bad.” But here’s where it gets fun.

Back in March at the Indoor Worlds in Nanjing, Duplantis won gold at 6.15m. Karalis? He was right there with silver at 6.05m. Outdoors, the Greek has crossed six meters ten times this season, including that 6.02m win in Lausanne and a national record 6.08m in Volos, which put him fourth all-time. So yes, Mondo Duplantis walks into Tokyo as the favorite. But Karalis has turned himself into the real deal, the rival who makes even the champion admit the competition feels “super sick.”