The venue that witnessed Armand “Mondo” Duplantis soar to another world record a year ago became the scene of a rare defeat on Sunday as the Swedish superstar’s remarkable winning streak finally came to an end at the Stockholm Diamond League.Competing in front of a home crowd at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Duplantis finished second behind Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, bringing an extraordinary run of 40 consecutive victories to a close. The Swede cleared 5.80m, while Marschall secured victory with a best jump of 5.90m to claim his maiden Diamond League title.It was Duplantis’ first defeat since the Monaco Diamond League in July 2023, where he finished fourth with a clearance of 5.72m. Interestingly, Marschall had also finished ahead of him on that occasion, taking third place.Over the nearly three-year period between those two defeats, Duplantis established one of the most dominant stretches in athletics history. The Olympic champion captured two outdoor world titles, two indoor world championships, multiple Diamond League crowns and Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. During that span, he also rewrote the pole vault world record ten times, improving it from 6.23m to the current mark of 6.31m.Back on home soil, however, the Swede endured an unusually difficult evening. He missed his opening attempt at 5.60m and later failed twice at 6.00m and once at 6.05m, ending his hopes of extending his winning sequence.Despite the disappointment, Duplantis was gracious in defeat and quick to credit his Australian rival.“I felt a bit unfocused today and I really did not want to lose here in front of my family and fans. I have not lost in what 3 years? But hats off to Kurtis today who beat me fair and square and I have no excuses. I am not angry and I will continue enjoying my time here in Stockholm with my family. I am also getting married soon so unlucky in sports – lucky in love if that’s a saying?,” Mondo replied cheekily after being asked about his loss.For Marschall, the victory represented a breakthrough moment after years of competing in the shadow of the sport’s dominant figure.“I did not mean to spoil the (Mondo) 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. This stadium is fantastic and the crowd were amazing despite their support for Mondo. We know he will be back as he won´t like being beaten but he told me he was chuffed it was me! I will build on this,” said Kurtis.The Australian admitted he had hoped to clear greater heights but found the conditions challenging.“I wanted to go higher today but the wind was tough at times. At 5.90 I think I got lucky with the wind out there. I shall go to Oslo now but the conditions there do not look promising just now so we will see. Track and field would not be where it is without Mondo so we are so lucky to have him in our sport,” he said.While the result denied Stockholm fans another Duplantis celebration, it provided a reminder that even the greatest winning streaks eventually come to an end. For Marschall, it was a career-defining triumph. For Duplantis, it was a rare setback in a career that continues to redefine what is possible in pole vaulting.
