Olympic pole vault champion Armand Duplantis saw his legendary dominance shattered on home soil at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday. In a stunning upset that rocked the athletics world, Australia’s Kurtis Marschall snatched a dramatic victory by clearing 5.90 metres on his final attempt, thwarting the Swedish superstar’s heavily anticipated bid to break his own world record.
The shock result brought a definitive end to an incredible, 40-race undefeated streak for the 26-year-old Duplantis. Reflecting on the rare blemish on his record, Mondo candidly confessed that his mind may have been slightly preoccupied with his impending nuptials.
Why Did Armand Duplantis Lose at the Stockholm Diamond League 2026?
“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.
Mondo Duplantis 🇸🇪 loses a Pole Vault competition for the first time since 2023!
He only managed to clear the 5.80m bar and failed to clear 6.00m (twice) and 6.05m.
His 40-meet win streak is broken in front of a home crowd in Stockholm. pic.twitter.com/uYCCJctYQC
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) June 7, 2026
“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.”
Jumping in front of his home crowd, the hugely popular Duplantis was aiming to beat his previous best mark of 6.31 to break the record for the 16th time, but the day got off to a bad start when he hit the bar on his first attempt at 5.60.
How Far Did Kurtis Marschall Jump to Defeat Armand Duplantis?
The 26-year-old soared over that mark at the second attempt and looked to be back on track when he cruised over 5.80, but he failed in both attempts to clear six metres, and his last-ditch effort to clear 6.05 also came up short, which handed Marschall the victory. Duplantis finished in second place.
“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.”
On the track, world champion Melissa Jefferson Wooden blazed to victory in the women’s 100 metres in a time of 10.84, while in the men’s 200 metres American double Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek cruised home first in a time of 19.87, the only athlete in the field to break the 20-second barrier.
In the men’s 800m, 17-year-old American Cooper Lutkenhaus had one of the stand-out performances of the day when he notched a season-best time of 1:42.70 to win ahead of Marco Arop of Canada, with Algeria’s Slimane Moula coming in third.
(With inputs from Reuters)
