Greek pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis made history in Brussels on Friday night, clearing 6.12 metres to win his first Diamond League title in the men’s pole vault final at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, the season-closing meeting of the Diamond League circuit, held at the King Baudouin Stadium.

The 26-year-old became only the second Greek athlete to win the title, following long jumper Miltos Tentoglou’s triumph in 2022.

Emmanouil Karalis wins the Diamond league with a 3rd attempt success at 6.12m#DiamondLeague #brussels pic.twitter.com/luYLPJE0ph

— Nithish Raghunandanan (@nithishr) September 4, 2026

Friday’s final went ahead without Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, the pole vault world record holder, who withdrew shortly before the competition began after failing to shake off tightness in his leg. Duplantis has dominated the event for years, but Karalis pushed him hard throughout the season, clearing 6.16 metres in Lausanne and a personal best of 6.20 metres in Zurich, where he also attempted the world record height of 6.32 metres.

With his fiercest rival absent, Karalis needed a second attempt to clear 5.82 metres before sailing over 5.92 metres on his first try, taking the lead in the competition.

💎 ΔΙΑΜΑΝΤΕΝΙΟΣ ΜΑΝΟΛΟ!
Ο Εμμανουήλ Καραλής κατακτά για πρώτη φορά στην καριέρα του το Diamond League, γράφοντας ιστορία στις Βρυξέλλες με άλμα στα 6,12 μ., σημειώνοντας νέο ρεκόρ αγώνων!#DiamondLeague #BrusselsDL | #ΕΡΤ pic.twitter.com/IwopJ0he5y

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Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen, who remained in contention for first place, opted to pass his final attempt at 5.92 metres and go straight for 6.02 metres, but failed to clear it. He finished the competition in second place, with Australia’s Kurtis Marschall taking third.

Karalis, meanwhile, passed on 6.02 metres and continued his attempts in search of an even higher mark, clearing 6.12 metres on his third try. The height added a centimetre to the previous meeting record of 6.11 metres, which Duplantis himself had set at the 2024 edition of the Memorial Van Damme.

Beyond the Diamond Trophy, victory in Brussels also secures Karalis an automatic place at next year’s inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, a lucrative new global showpiece.