LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND, August 21 — The highlight of the Athletissima meeting came the night before the main action, when the two greatest vaulters on earth performed in front of an estimated 5000 fans who converged on the shores of Lake Geneva to see them battle. And while Mondo Duplantis took the victory, as he has twice before here, Manolo Karalís signaled that there may indeed be a future where they compete as equals.
The event started at 6 p.m. and with a bar at 18-1 (5.51) that all 11 men cleared. The two giants skipped the next setting, so Kurtis Marschall, the last man to beat Mondo, took the lead at 18-6¾ (5.66). Next stop, 19-¾ (5.81), and 9 cleared, with Duplantis, Karalís and Marschall sharing the lead.
At 19-4¾ (5.91) those three made it on their first attempts, as did Sondre Guttormsen and Chris Nilsen. The field narrowed to the top two at 19-8½ (6.01) — both with first-try makes. Then came 20-2½ (6.16), a height only three humans have ever topped. Mondo made it on his first try to take sole possession of the lead. Karalís missed his first, then, on his second, he flew over for an outdoor PR. With the eventual winner still to be determined, the only certainty was that fans would see the highest losing mark ever (old best, 19-10½/6.06 by Guttormsen in March, in a loss to Karalís).
The bar went to 20-4½ (6.21), a would-be Greek Record. Make for Mondo, miss for Karalís. After a second miss — but oh-so-close — he boldly passed to 20-6½ (6.26). He gave it one good shot and bowed to the crowd.
Duplantis tried a WR 20-8¾ (6.32), then admitted that fatigue had gotten the better of him. “I’m tired, that’s what I am! That was just an amazing competition, I really had to step it up,” he said.
“That’s competition, that’s what we live for. I love to compete against Manolo, especially in a place like this.”
A World Record was what Marco Arop gunned for in the next evening’s 800. The Canadian frontrunner gambled big on a cool night, hitting 49.6 for the first lap behind the pacer’s blistering 48.9. With 300 left he had a lead of 5 meters over rivals Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Brandon Miller. On the backstretch, the chasers started eating into Arop’s margin, pulling up behind him as he passed 600 in 1:15.1.
Not till halfway down the final straight did they move to pass the now-struggling Arop. First came Wanyonyi, who sprinted to the line in 1:42.19. Miller looked to follow but instead got caught by the fast finish of Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, 1:42.31–1:42.55. Arop had to console himself with 4th in 1:43.18.
Said a disappointed Arop,“Maybe it wasn’t the smartest move, but when I say I’m going to go for it, I go for it… It didn’t go very well.”
For Birhanu Balew, the 5000 marked his first DL win since he won here 8 years ago. For a motivated cadre of Americans, it marked an impressive show of depth. The race started on the fast side with kilometers of 2:32.5 and 2:35.0. Nico Young took over for a few laps and slowed up the pace, passing 3000 in 7:49.2.
By the time the last lap teed up, three Americans — Young, Parker Wolfe and Graham Blanks — were still in the mix as Balew ran off the shoulder of 20-year-old teammate Mezgebu Sime. Balew turned on a kick over the final 200 that no one could answer. Wolfe kicked best of the Americans, breaking out of a box and weaving around traffic to finish 2nd in 12:58.20. Young (12:58.33) and Blanks (12:59.16) crossed next. Altogether 6 broke 13:00. Grant Fisher ran an atypically weak race, struggling to stay with the pack in the final laps before crossing 11th in 13:07.74.
Said Balew, “When it became difficult, I decided to keep battling because I still felt strong.”
Wolfe couldn’t have been more thrilled. “I didn’t expect to go that far up. I’m very satisfied with it! I just wanted to put myself in it. I’m young so live it and learn!”
A hurdle race against Ja’Kobe Tharp is a daunting undertaking, the world’s best have figured out this season. But Jamal Britt didn’t flinch, getting the best start from lane 4 and battling with Kendry Menéndez, a lane to his left, for most of the non-DL race. He took the win in 13.13 with the Cuban at 13.20.
Meanwhile, in lane 6, favored Tharp had a rough day at the office. He got off badly and probably pressed too hard to catch up, hitting hurdle 6 badly. He was already in last when he opted to jog in for a 14.38.
It was Britt who said he was let down by his race: “I was feeling rusty and I feel I could’ve gone faster. But I’m still happy.”
The last men’s running event of the night, the 200, was perhaps a bit predictable. Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, in his first 200 since the Pre Classic, ran the curve in the lead and didn’t need his top gear to beat South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile in the stretch, 19.87–19.98.
“It’s about enjoying every race in this final part of the season so that it doesn’t take a toll on my mental health,” he said.
Rai Benjamin, focused on the flat 400 this season, said the non-DL 400H here would be his only ’26 outing in his specialty (then later said he may even double at the Ultimate Champs). The time away had not hurt the reigning World and Olympic champion. His 46.67, his ninth-fastest clocking, knocked erstwhile WR holder for 29 years Kevin Young from the U.S. top 10 performances ATL and erased Edwin Moses’ MR, 47.14 set in 1981.
In the field events, despite decent conditions, many of the athletes were perhaps showing the fatigue of August in a long season. Pedro Pichardo won the triple with a round 2 leap of 57-2¾ (17.44) that survived a big last-round effort of 57-2¼ (17.43) by Yasser Triki. Andy Díaz Hernández, fresh off his big world leader at the Euros, could only muster 56-5¼ (17.20) for 3rd.
In the javelin, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage led early with his 282-1 (85.99), was passed by Neeraj Chopra’s season best of 288-10 (88.05), then took the win with his third-round 289-2 (88.14). Anderson Peters moved up to 3rd with his last-try 284-5 (86.69).
The long jump, like the triple, produced no season bests. Miltiádis Tentóglou won with a modest 27-½ (8.24) — wind-aided, at that (2.1). Local hero Simon Ehammer came closest with his last-round 26-8¼ (8.13).
Explained the winner, “I cannot jump when it’s cold. I start feeling pain, you know, in my knees, in my head if it’s cold… I tried to keep myself warm. I didn’t even remove my uniform. I jumped with my long tights.”
LAUSANNE DL MEN’S RESULTS
200(-0.3): 1. Letsile Tebogo (Bot) 19.87; 2. Sinesipho Dambile (SA) 19.98; 3. Makanakaishe Charamba (Zim) 20.14; 4. Jose Figueroa (PR) 20.16; 5. Zharnel Hughes (GB) 20.33; 6. Timothé Mumenthaler (Swi) 20.39.
800: 1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Ken) 1:42.19; 2. Djamel Sedjati (Alg) 1:42.31; 3. Brandon Miller (US) 1:42.55; 4. Marco Arop (Can) 1:43.18; 5. Gabriel Tual (Fra) 1:44.18; 6. Marino Bloudek (Cro) 1:44.21; 7. David Barroso (Spa) 1:44.63; 8. Francesco Pernici (Ita) 1:44.79;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (48.86).
5000: 1. Birhanu Balew (Bhr) 12:57.55; 2. Parker Wolfe (US) 12:58.20; 3. Nico Young (US) 12:58.33 (7:49.18); 4. Graham Blanks (US) 12:59.16; 5. Cornelious Kemboi (Ken) 12:59.33; 6. Mezgebu Sime (Eth) 12:59.48; 7. Kuma Girma (Eth) 13:00.22; 8. Dominic Lobalu (Swi) 13:00.73; 9. Khairi Bejiga (Eth) 13:03.27 PR (10:30.65); 10. Egide Ntakarutimana (Bur) 13:07.21; 11. Grant Fisher (US) 13:07.74.
110H(-0.5): 1. Jamal Britt (US) 13.13; 2. Kendry Menéndez (Cub) 13.20; 3. Jason Joseph (Swi) 13.29; 4. Orlando Bennett (Jam) 13.38; 5. Tatsuki Abe (Jpn) 13.39;… 8. Ja’kobe Tharp (US) 14.38.
400H: 1. Rai Benjamin (US) 46.67 (x, =9 A);
2. Ismail Nezir (Tur) 48.08 PR; 3. Bassem Hemeida (Qat) 48.17; 4. Matic Ian Guček (Slo) 48.25; 5. Alastair Chalmers (GB) 48.65; 6. Michal Rada (CzR) 48.70.
PV (6/20—lake shore): 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 20-4½ (6.21) (x, 12 W; outdoors x, 8 W) (18-1, 19-¾, 19-4¾, 19-8½, 20-2½, 20-4½, 20-8¾ [xxp]) (5.51, 5.81, 5.91, 6.01, 6.16, 6.21, 6.32 [xxp]);
2. Manolo Karalís (Gre) 20-2½ (6.16); 3. Kurtis Marschall (Aus) 19-4¾ (5.91); 4. Sondre Guttormsen (Nor) 19-4¾; 5. Chris Nilsen (US) 19-4¾; 6. EJ Obiena (Phi) 19-¾;
7. tie, Zach Bradford (US) & Sam Kendricks (US) 19-¾; 9. KC Lightfoot (US) 19-¾.
(best-ever mark-for-place: 2, =9)
LJ: 1. Miltiádis Tentóglou (Gre) 27-½w (8.24) (26-9¾/8.17, p, p); 2. Simon Ehammer (Swi) 26-8¼ (8.13); 3. Luka Bošković (Ser) 26-5¾ (8.07); 4. Jorge A. Hodelín (Cub) 26-5½ (8.06); 5. Gerson Baldé (Por) 26-3¾ (8.02); 6. Wayne Pinnock (Jam) 26-3½ (8.01).
TJ: 1. Pedro Pichardo (Por) 57-2¾ (17.44); 2. Yasser Triki (Alg) 57-2¼w (17.43); 3. Andy Díaz Hernández (Ita) 56-5¼ (17.20); 4. Russell Robinson (US) 55-6½ (16.93); 5. Jordan Scott (Jam) 55-3¾ (16.86); 6. Lázaro Martínez (Cub) 54-9¼ (16.69).
JT: 1. Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SrL) 289-2 (88.14) (282-1, 285-7, 289-2, 284-5, f, f) (85.99, 87.06, 88.14, 86.71, f, f); 2. Neeraj Chopra (Ind) 288-10 (88.05) (274-1, 288-10, 274-8, f, p, 269-6) (83.54, 88.05, 83.72, f, p, 82.15);
3. Anderson Peters (Grn) 284-5 (86.69); 4. Keshorn Walcott (Tri) 274-7 (83.71); 5. Marc Minichello (US) 262-8 (80.06); 6. Curtis Thompson (US) 256-4 (78.13).
