Marschall stuns Duplantis in Stockholm as Pole Vault star's 40-meet winning streak ends
Stockholm, June 8
Australia's Kurtis Marschall produced a stunning upset at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday, defeating Olympic champion Armand Duplantis and ending the Swedish star's remarkable run of 40 consecutive victories in men's pole vault.
Competing in front of the home crowd, Duplantis had arrived in Stockholm with hopes of breaking his own world record of 6.31 metres for the 16th time in his career, according to Reuters.
However, the Olympic and world champion struggled to find his rhythm and eventually settled for second place after failing to clear six metres.
Marschall secured victory with a clearance of 5.90m on his third attempt, while Duplantis could not clear either six metres or a final attempt at 6.05m.
"It was time to lose, it was a very long time (since the last time). I can't fathom that I won 40 in a row, it's pretty sick, but it's also sick that I lose in Stockholm, which is the most important competition of the year for me," Duplantis told Swedish broadcaster SVT, as per Reuters.
"This is not the last time I will lose, but I hope it's the last time I lose in Stockholm. I'm going to make sure of that, that it doesn't happen again," he added.
The competition began on an uncertain note for the 26-year-old Swede when he failed his opening attempt at 5.60m. Although he cleared the height on his second try and comfortably negotiated 5.80m, he was unable to build momentum as the bar was raised.
Despite the disappointment, Duplantis remained philosophical and hinted that his focus may have been partly on his upcoming wedding.
"You're either lucky in love or lucky in life. The wedding is soon, so maybe it's a huge silver lining to the whole thing," the Swede said. "It's a shame, because I really didn't want to have a bad performance here in Stockholm, where so many support me and give me love."
Elsewhere at the Diamond League meeting, world champion Melissa Jefferson Wooden claimed victory in the women's 100 metres with a time of 10.84 seconds.
American sprinter Kenny Bednarek dominated the men's 200m, clocking 19.87 seconds and emerging as the only athlete in the field to break the 20-second mark.
One of the standout performances of the day came in the men's 800m, where 17-year-old American Cooper Lutkenhaus ran a season-best 1:42.70 to secure victory ahead of Canada's Marco Arop, while Algeria's Slimane Moula finished third.
— ANI
Reader Comments
40 wins in a row is insane! Even in cricket, that kind of streak is unheard of. Duplantis should be proud, not disappointed. Looking forward to his comeback at the next meet. 🙌
Hats off to Marschall! As an Indian athletics fan, I know how hard it is to break a chain like this. Duplantis is still the GOAT, but this shows that no one is unbeatable - similar to how Neeraj Chopra keeps pushing the limits in javelin. 🇮🇳
Sportsmanship at its finest. Duplantis taking the loss with grace and even joking about his wedding shows real class. These are the moments that make athletics beautiful - not just the wins but how you handle setbacks. 🙏
I feel for Duplantis losing in Stockholm of all places - home crowd pressure can be immense. That said, 5.90m from Marschall is no joke. Exciting times for pole vault with such competition! 🔥
Maybe Duplantis was distracted by wedding planning? 😄 But seriously, 40 straight wins is legendary. He'll come back stronger. Shame about the 6.05m attempt though - so close!
K Kavya N