Armand Duplantis, Olympic champion and world record holder, claimed victory in the men's pole vault at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial in Budapest on 15 July 2026, clearing 6.07 metres to top the field at the final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of the year. The Swedish star then pushed the bar to 6.32 metres in a world record attempt but could not convert, leaving the mark intact for now.

How the Competition Unfolded

The contest was fiercely competitive at the top, with six athletes still in contention when the bar reached 6.00 metres. Among them were Kurtis Marschall, Emmanouil Karalis, and Sondre Guttormsen, all of whom had already cleared 5.90 metres.

Duplantis himself failed his opening attempt at 6.00m, with Marschall stepping up to become the first over the bar — notably, the first time Marschall had cleared that height outdoors, having done so twice indoors previously. That clearance also marked the 300th six-metre vault in history, a landmark moment for the event.

Duplantis regrouped and cleared 6.00m on his second attempt, then asserted his dominance with a first-attempt clearance at 6.07m. Marschall could not match the height, leaving the Swede as the clear winner.

The World Record Bid

With the competition won, Duplantis set the bar at 6.32 metres — a height that would have surpassed his own world record. He was unable to clear it on this occasion, but the attempt underscored his relentless pursuit of the mark. Duplantis now holds a remarkable tally of 136 clearances at 6.00 metres or above, a testament to his sustained dominance at the elite level.

'I'll be back here in September as an ambassador for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship,' Duplantis said. 'I hope to break the world record again. That's always my ultimate goal.'

Tharp Electrifies the 110m Hurdles

Elsewhere on the Budapest track, American sprinter Ja'Kobe Tharp delivered one of the performances of the season, winning the men's 110 metres hurdles in 12.85 seconds (wind: -0.4 m/s) — the fifth-fastest time in history for the event.

Tharp, who stunned the athletics world with a world record of 12.75 in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships last month, won by a commanding 0.16 seconds, easing off before the line and still finishing well clear. Jamal Britt, a consistent sub-13 performer this season, took second in 13.01, while reigning world champion Cordell Tinch clocked a season-best 13.06 for third.

Tharp's Streak and Broader Context

The Budapest result was also a measure of revenge for Tharp, who had earlier lost to Britt at the Eugene Diamond League, where Britt won in 12.86 to Tharp's 12.91. Budapest marked Tharp's fourth consecutive race inside 13 seconds — a streak that began with his world record in the NCAA semifinals, continued through his NCAA final victory in 12.90, and now extends to the international stage.

With the World Athletics Ultimate Championship on the horizon and both Duplantis and Tharp in peak form, the second half of the 2026 season promises to deliver further landmark performances.