Kurtis Marschall has pulled off one of the boilovers of the sporting year as the Australian beat the seemingly unbeatable pole vault king Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis in front of his home fans in the Stockholm Diamond League meeting.
And though the world’s top athlete wasn’t at all happy his 40-event unbeaten run was ended after nearly three years, especially with his adoring Swedish public cheering him on, he reckoned he was glad it was his Adelaide mate and occasional training partner who was the one to achieve it on Sunday.
‘I did not mean to spoil the show but I am so delighted with the win. It has taken a long while to get my first Diamond League victory and I really thought it would never come with Mondo here,’ smiled the incredulous 29-year-old double Commonwealth champ Marschall.
‘We know he will be back as he won’t like being beaten – but he told me he was chuffed it was me.
‘I can’t believe it! I’m going to cherish this for my whole life!’
Duplantis wasn’t just expected to win, but even to have a crack at breaking his world record yet again, but instead, he had the rarest of off-days in difficult gusty conditions as world bronze medalist Marschall clinched the wholly unlikely victory with a clearance of 5.90 metres on his third and final attempt.
Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall stunned the athletics world by ending Armand Duplantis’ remarkable 40-meeting unbeaten streak in Stockholm
The pair share a warm embrace after the event, with Duplantis congratulating his friend and occasional training partner
Duplantis, who so often seems to be able to clear six metres in his sleep, admitted he may have been distracted with one eye on his upcoming wedding, but he wasn’t about to make excuses.
‘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 shrugged afterwards.
‘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.
‘I lost at my home city, I’m here in Stockholm, and I had so much family here, it’s actually the worst thing that could ever happen to me.
‘I haven’t lost in, what, three years? But big hats off to Kurtis today, he was the better man and he beat me fair and square. I have no excuses.’
The last time the 26-year-old lost was at the Monaco Diamond League meeting in July 2023, when he tied for fourth and Marschall was again ahead of him, finishing third.
But since then, Duplantis has raised the world record nine more times to its current landmark of 6.31m — that’s 15 world records in all.
While Marschall made his last-attempt clearance at 5.90, Duplantis, who’d cleared 5.80, had confidently raised the bar to 6.00m but he failed twice at that height and once at 6.05 to leave the South Australian gobsmacked.
The South Australian produced a clutch final-attempt clearance to defeat the greatest pole vaulter of his generation
Marschall said he would cherish the victory for the rest of his life after toppling the world-record holder
Marschall praised Duplantis as “one of the best competitors and one of the best blokes” in world sport
‘Mondo’s one of the best competitors and one of the best blokes. I love him with all my heart,’ beamed Marschall.
‘Track and field would not be where it is without Mondo, so we are so lucky to have him in our sport.
On another fruitful day for the Aussie athletes in Europe, Canberra middle distance star Cameron Myers and Queensland discus stalwart Matthew Denny also finished on the podium.
In the 1500m, 19-year-old Myers enjoyed a final-lap duel with US Olympic medallist Yared Nuguse, only being passed on the home straight as he clocked 3min 30.32sec to Nuguse’s 3:30.11.
Olympic medallist Denny also finished runner-up, producing one of the best throws of his career (69.02m) to finish behind home favourite and world champion Daniel Stahl, who sent out a soaring 69.60m winner.
