Mondo Duplantis could have won again, but victory slipped just out of his fingers. London has always held a special place in the Swedish pole vault star’s career, from his first appearance at the stadium as a 17-year-old during the 2017 World Athletics Championships to his return in 2018 for the Anniversary Games, where he finished third. Years later, Duplantis arrived at the 2026 London Diamond League hoping this time to create another memorable moment, but his night was cut short when hamstring discomfort forced him to withdraw from the competition.

On July 17, the Olympic champion looked every bit the favorite. Duplantis cleared 5.95m with ease and found himself locked in a three-way battle with Sam Kendricks and Kurtis Marschall, who also cleared the same height. The evening took an unexpected turn moments later.

Television cameras suddenly showed concerning scenes as the 26-year-old lay on his back near the runway while receiving treatment on his left thigh. Shortly afterward, Duplantis walked toward his team, shaking his head in frustration before making the difficult decision to end his competition. The world record holder later explained that he had been feeling discomfort even before arriving in London.

“It felt really tight in my front. I felt it a couple of days ago, after Budapest, but it felt okay. But then it just came right away, and it got a lot worse on the next jump. I tried another jump of 5.95, and it didn’t feel good at all. I hope it wasn’t anything major.”

Duplantis, who finished second in the race, admitted he immediately knew continuing was not an option.  His withdrawal opened the door for Kendricks, who claimed victory with a clearance of 5.95m, while Marschall finished third after matching the same height.

Although the result was disappointing, Duplantis remained cautiously optimistic about the injury and revealed that he would spend the coming days assessing the situation. “It’s never fun to finish a competition. It’s not a good feeling at all. Now you have to look through the last few weeks and all the reasons behind why we’re in this situation. Now I’m going to rest for a few days and look through and see if it’s anything big. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

With the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham beginning on August 10, Duplantis will now focus on recovery! Yet the disappointment in London was especially painful as it came just weeks after another rare setback.

Home defeat fueled Mondo Duplantis’ return to winning ways

Before arriving in London, Duplantis saw his 40-meet winning streak come to an end at the Stockholm Diamond League on June 7. It was his first defeat in nearly three years with Kurtis Marschall claiming victory after clearing 5.90m. The loss stung even more because it happened at Duplantis’ home meet, a competition he has often described as the most important of the season.

Reflecting on the result, the Swede admitted the defeat was difficult to accept. “It was time to lose… but it’s also sick that I lose in Stockholm, which is the most important competition of the year for me.” He later added: “I hope it’s the last time I lose in Stockholm.”

Rather than letting the setback linger, Duplantis used it as motivation. Ahead of the Monaco Diamond League, he described the loss as a “wake-up call” that pushed him to raise his level even further. “Coming off of a bit of a poor performance in Stockholm made me more motivated.”

The response was immediate. At the Paris Diamond League, Duplantis returned to winning form soaring over a meeting-record 6.13m to comfortably defeat the field. With victory already secured, he raised the bar to 6.32m in an attempt to break his own world record of 6.31m. Although he was unsuccessful in all three attempts, the dominant performance signaled that he was back near his best heading into London.