AL HAYAT - Duplantis labours to 'super difficult' pole vault win at Silesia Diamond League

It was not all plain sailing for the 26-year-old, however, the US-born Swede describing the competition as "super difficult".

"I was really sloppy at the beginning," he said.

"But I was trying to survive, to give myself a new life. I always tell myself every time you clear a height, you get three new attempts. I made a few mistakes today and some of my judgment calls were off."

Duplantis added: "But if you told me at 5.90 I would end the competition with 6.20, I would have been really happy."

Duplantis passed at the entry height of 5.50m, but went on to make hard work of the next three heights.

The bar was raised to 5.65m, at which Duplantis failed his first attempt.

He sailed over at the second time of asking, then opting to skip 5.80m, which Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis cleared with ease in the promise of a tight business end to the action.

The Greek went over 5.90m, but Duplantis uncharacteristically skidded to a halt on his first attempt.

Norway's Sondre Guttormsen was first over 6.00m, followed by Karalis and a fist-clenched Duplantis. But that was it as the seven others in the field bombed out.

The bar went up to 6.10m, Duplantis again going clear on his second effort.

It was too high for Guttormsen, while Karalis upped the ante by passing.

Both vaulters also passed at 6.15, with the bar now at 6.20m, and Karalis first up.

He failed, but Duplantis went over.

Karalis clipped the bar twice more to hand Duplantis the win.

"At 6.20 I felt tired because we just arrived yesterday from Lausanne where I had competed on Friday," said Karalis.

"But I am still happy. My coach and me know what we have to do - some technical stuff like the runway. But it is just a matter of time until we get it right."

The stage was set for the Swede and a potential tilt at a 16th world record.

And up the bar duly went to 6.32m, 1cm higher than the world record.

But after one attempt, Duplantis called it a day.

"I lost a lot too much energy at those lower heights to break the world record today," rued the Swede.

"This season I have not really performed at the standard I would have liked, but the last couple of competitions have been good and I feel very excited for the rest of the season."

Next up for Duplantis is the Diamond League in Zurich before the circuit's finals in Brussels on September 4-5 and the season-ending World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest a week later.

"It is a hectic schedule, but I love it," he said.

M.Ajlan--al-Hayat