Greek athlete Emmanouil Karalis aged 16 broke the world record in indoor pole vault during a sports event held at Athens’ Peace and Friendship Stadium on Saturday, with 5.53 meters in his first attempt.

With his jump, Karalis topped the performance of Argentine pole vaulter Germán Chiaraviglio who achieved 5.51 meters in 2004.

The crowd at the stadium and the athletes’ academies extolled his performance, while President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Sports Minister Stavros Kontonis congratulated Karalis in messages released on Sunday.