For the first time in a long time, it wasn’t Mondo Duplantis’ day Sunday.
The pole vaulting legend from 91 and Lafayette suffered his first defeat since 2023, coming in a Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Sweden, part of the international track and field series. The 26-year old Duplantis represents Sweden because of his dual citizenship.
Sunday’s result broke a streak of 40 straight victories since Duplantis’ last loss in July 2023 in Monaco. That win streak included his most recent world-record leap of 20 feet-8½ inches on March 12 in his own home meet, the Mondo Classic, in Uppsala, Sweden.
Duplantis has broken the world record 15 times since February 2020, more often than any other pole vaulter in history.
Sunday, Duplantis missed at 18 feet, 4½ inches, then cleared the bar at 19 feet, ¼ inch. He then missed twice at 19-8¼ and once at 19-10¼.
Still, Duplantis ended up only four inches off the winning mark of 19-4¼ by Australia’s Kurtis Marschall.
″I felt a bit unfocused today,” Duplantis said according to . “I really did not want to lose here in front of my family and fans.”
It was the first outdoor meet this season for Duplantis, who won Olympic gold medals in Tokyo in 2021 and Paris in 2024.
“I have not lost in three years,” Duplantis said, “but hats off to Kurtis today, who beat me fair and square. I have no excuses.”
It was the first Diamond League pole vaulting victory for Marschall.
"I did not mean to spoil the (Mondo) show but I am so delighted with the win,” he said.