The venue that witnessed Armand “Mondo” Duplantis set another world record a year ago became the scene of a rare defeat on Sunday as the Swedish superstar’s impressive winning streak finally came to an end at the Stockholm Diamond League.Competing in front of a home crowd at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Duplantes finished second behind Australia’s Curtis Marshall, ending an extraordinary run of 40 consecutive victories. The Swede cleared 5.80m, while Marshall won his first Diamond League title with a best of 5.90m.It was Duplantes’ first defeat since the Monaco Diamond League in July 2023, where he finished fourth with a clearance of 5.72m. Interestingly, on this occasion Marshall also overtook him and finished third.In the nearly three-year span between those two defeats, Duplantes 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 this period, he rewrote the pole vault world record ten times, improving it from 6.23m to the current mark of 6.31m.However, back on home soil Sweden 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 streak.Despite the disappointment, Duplantis was gracious in defeat and was quick to give credit to his Australian rival.“I felt a little unfocused today and I really didn’t want to lose here in front of my family and fans. I haven’t lost in what 3 years? But today kudos to Curtis who beat me clean and square and I have no excuses. I am not angry and I will continue to enjoy my time here in Stockholm with my family. “I’m also getting married soon. Very unlucky in sports – lucky in love if that’s a saying?” Mundo replied cheerfully after being asked about his loss.For Marshall, the victory represents a breakthrough moment after years of competing in the shadow of the sport’s dominant figure.“I didn’t mean to spoil the (Mondo) show but I’m very happy with this win. It’s been a long time since I got my first Diamond League win and I really thought it would never come here with Mondo. The stadium is fantastic and the crowd was amazing even with Mondo’s support. We know he’ll be back because he doesn’t like to be beaten,” he said, “but I told him I was made up for it!”The Australian admitted he had hoped to clear more heights but found conditions difficult.“I wanted to go higher today but the wind was tough at times. At 5.90 I think I got lucky with the wind there. I’ll go to Oslo now but the conditions there don’t look promising so we’ll see. Track and field wouldn’t be the same place without Mondo so we’re very lucky to have him in our game,” he said.While the result denied Stockholm fans another Duplantes celebration, it provided a reminder that even the greatest winning streaks eventually come to an end. For Marshall, it was a career-defining victory. For Duplants, it was a rare blow in a career that continues to redefine what’s possible in pole vaulting.
