TORUN: Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis will head into the world indoor championships, which run from Friday to Sunday, confidently eyeing a fourth pole vault title, but there is a rival lurking in the wings potentially capable of springing a surprise.

Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.17 metres at last month’s Greek indoor champs, overtaking Sergey Bubka to go second in the all-time list.

While still some distance short of Duplantis’ newly-set world record of 6.31m, Karalis is himself not lacking confidence heading into Saturday’s competition in Torun, Poland.

The question is whether the Greek could put a stick in the spokes of Duplantis’ well-oiled machine that has seen the US-born Swede dominate the sport over the last six years.

“I’m dangerous if I’m enjoying myself,” grinned Karalis, who had a half-decent attempt at 6.31m at the Greek champs.

Duplantis called the Karalis’ successful 6.17m vault “amazing”, adding his immediate reaction to it was “somewhere in the middle of shocked and not shocked”.

“He’s a huge talent and he’s been jumping amazing the past year, year and a half or so, especially.

“But that jump was extra out of the ordinary. It was just really, really flawless and just really, really beautiful, honestly.

“That was very inspiring. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t fire me up a little bit, put some fire under my ass.”

Karalis said the lines between actual victory and performance satisfaction were sometimes blurred in an event demanding not only exceptional speed, strength and agility, but also a considerable level of technical nous.

“Every athlete that is here wants to win. Everyone that is competing wants to win and win gold,” he said. “I also want to win, but still, my main goal is to do the best that I can.

“If I know I gave everything on that specific day and still wasn’t able to win a medal, I’ll be satisfied.”

Karalis added: “You never know what’s going to happen. That’s why we’re competing, and that’s why we have world championships and meetings.

“I’m feeling good. I believe in myself, I believe in my abilities to jump high.”

Karalis, who took silver behind Duplantis at the world indoors and outdoors in 2025, has competed against the double Olympic champion and three-time world outdoor gold medallist in 41 competitions.

Only once has the 26-year-old Greek vaulter come out on top: the 2018 world indoors, where Karalis placed fifth and Duplantis seventh.

Karalis expressed his hope he could replicate his mental positivity come Saturday.

“Most of it is mental,” he said of vaulting. “We knew that we were able to jump that 6.17m. It’s a blessing to know that I can jump a bit higher than 6.17 hopefully.”

Karalis has rubbed shoulders with Duplantis, who is the same age, for more than 10 years on the close-knit circuit, firstly at youth level then senior.

“Our families know each other,” said Karalis, who has been invited to Duplantis’ wedding.

“We spent a lot of time together, vacations and good times, of course, in the field. Mondo is an amazing athlete, an amazing person. He’s trying to get everyone together in the sport.

“Having a friend and an athlete like Mondo is a blessing for me. He made me think that if he can do it, why not I? “Hopefully we’ll have 10 more years of competing together and with all the gang.”

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2026