Armand Duplantis Wins Fourth European Title With Championship Record

Armand Duplantis extended his European pole vault dominance by clearing 6.15 meters at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Sunday. The Swedish star secured his fourth continental title and broke his own championship record despite battling a severe pre-event stomach bug caused by an ill-advised lunch.

Armand Duplantis extended his European pole vault dominance by capturing the gold medal on the final day of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. The world record holder cleared 6.15 meters, marking his fourth gold medal at the continental championships and defeating the field by a massive 15-centimeter margin.

Stomach Trouble and Tactical Adjustments in Birmingham

While his victory looked routine from the stands, Duplantis revealed after the event that his road to the gold medal was nearly derailed by a poor menu choice. Despite recovering from a thigh injury suffered weeks prior at a Diamond League meeting, the Swedish champion found himself wrestling with acute digestive issues.

Photo: gamereactor.cz

The only thing I did wrong was I had Tikka Masala for lunch. That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life. If you want to have stomach problems… To have Indian food before a competition… I don’t understand at all why I did that. Armand Duplantis, via Sport.cz

The culinary misstep forced him to make frequent trips to the restroom throughout the competition. He recalled thinking that eating just the chicken and avoiding the sauce might spare him, but the strategy failed to work, leaving him with a sharp lesson for future meets.

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Clearing the Bar and Breaking Championship Records

Stomach issues aside, Duplantis managed his jumping series with clinical precision. He opened at 5.55 meters, clearing it easily on his first attempt. He required two tries to clear 6.0 meters before successfully navigating 6.10 and 6.15 meters on his first attempts.

The 6.15-meter clearance eclipsed by five centimeters the previous championship record he had established two years prior in Rome. Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis pushed the champion by clearing 6.0 meters to secure the silver medal, making multiple attempts at 6.10 and 6.15 meters before bowing out. France’s Baptiste Thiery claimed the bronze medal with a clearance of 5.85 meters.

Having secured the gold, Duplantis opted not to continue the competition and did not attempt to break his own world record of 6.31 meters.

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A Distinctive Way to Keep a Wedding Ring Close

The victory in Birmingham served as a celebratory postscript to an eventful summer for Duplantis, who recently relocated to Monaco and married on the French Riviera. Sharp-eyed fans scanning his hands during the final noticed his wedding ring was missing from his finger, but it was far from left behind.

Photo: Sport.cz

Duplantis tied his wedding band securely to the shoelace of his right track spike. His wife, Desiré Duplantis, watched from the stands in Birmingham and expressed amusement at the arrangement, while close friend Kurtis Marschall joked that the pole vaulter would protect the ring with his life.

I did it once before, actually in Paris. I don’t want to jump with it on my finger because I don’t want anything to crash into it. But at the same time, I want to have it somewhere near me so I always feel like I have it. Armand Duplantis, via Sport.cz

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A Historic Run of Continental and Global Supremacy

The continental title extends an undefeated streak at European championships that stretching back uninterrupted to 2018. His career CV now boasts four European titles alongside four indoor world championships, three outdoor world titles, and two Olympic gold medals.

This season has brought rare moments of vulnerability for the Swedish star. Beyond his pre-event digestive troubles and the earlier thigh issue at the Diamond League, Duplantis suffered his first defeat in nearly three years on June 7 at the Stockholm Diamond League, which snapped a 40-meet winning streak dating back to August 2023.

Looking ahead to his career longevity, Duplantis reflected in an interview with BBC on turning 27 in November, noting that time moves quickly in elite athletics and pushing himself to appreciate every moment.