Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.17 metres at the Panhellenic Championships in Paiania, setting a new Greek record for both indoor and outdoor competition. The mark places him second on the all-time world list, ahead of Sergei Bubka and Renaud Lavillenie.
Record-breaking performance in Paiania
Karalis, representing Olympiacos, first cleared 6.07m earlier in the competition, setting a national indoor record and surpassing the previous Greek best of 6.05m. He had also been targeting the season’s world-leading mark of 6.06m.
He subsequently raised the bar to 6.17m and cleared it cleanly on his second attempt, securing his place as the second-best pole vaulter in history.
Attempt at the world record
Following the 6.17m clearance, Karalis set the bar at 6.31m in an effort to break the world record held by Mondo Duplantis.
On his first attempt, his pole bent and he passed underneath the bar. On his second attempt, he did not plant the pole and decided to end his pursuit of the world record for the evening.
The world record did not return to Greek hands, as it once had in 1970 with Christos Papanikolaou.
Competition highlights
After a two-hour wait before entering the final, Karalis opened with strong clearances at 5.70m and 5.90m before moving to 6.07m. His 6.17m clearance prompted celebrations in the stadium, with supporters rising to applaud the Olympic medallist.
Elsewhere in the competition, Antonis Santa of AEK cleared 5.48m, while Giorgos Papanastasiou of PAOK also cleared 5.48m, marking a personal best in both indoor and outdoor events for the latter.