Mondo Duplantis heads into 2026 Diamond League season Shanghai stop; 39 straight wins since 2023

New music, more world records and a winning streak continued: Mondo Duplantis heads into 2026 Diamond League season flying high

The two-time and reigning Olympic champion in pole vault from Sweden hasn’t lost at any competition since August 2023. He also released his fifth music single, “Location”, in April.

Just 10 days after he was walkingthe Met Galared carpetalongside fianceeDesiré Inglander, two-time and reigning Olympic pole vault championMondo Duplantiswill kick off his 2026 outdoorathleticsstand across the globe.

The Swedish world record holder leads a stacked men’s field at theShanghai

Keqiao Diamond Leaguestop, set for Saturday (16 May), and the first of 15 Diamond League events across the next four months.

And Duplantis - as usual - has plenty of momentum as he flies into another outdoor season.

In March, the 26-year-old became the first man to winfour consecutive world indoor pole vault titles, just days after he had recorded a 15th world-record height at 6.31m (20 feet 7 inches) in front of home fans in Sweden at his very own event, theMondo Classic.

Duplantis is undefeated - indoor and out - since 2023, a remarkable 39 victories in a row.

With the 2026 Diamond League an unofficial “halfway” point for athletics stars to the comingOlympic GamesLA 2028the bone-fide top dog in pole vaulting looks to be going from one height to the next… both in competition and out of it.

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Mondo Duplantis | Born to Fly

The intimate story of Mondo Duplantis and his rise to fame from child prodigy to the greatest pole vaulter of all time. By the age of 21, Mondo broke the World Record and won Olympic Gold, accomplishing the lifelong dreams of a passionate child.

Mondo Duplantis: The Met Gala, new music and more

Looking for a breakdown of that aforementioned stacked pole vault field for Shanghai? Keep scrolling down.

But Duplantis has continued to keep a jam-packed diary away from being the greatest pole vaulter of all time, too.

Days before he and Inglander posed for photographers at global fashion’s biggest party in New York City, the Swede released his latest single, “Location”.

Known musically as just “Mondo”, it’s a fifth single in a side-project that shows no signs of slowing down. He released “Feelin’ Myself” in February, the track becoming his most successful yet, with some 3.3 million streams on Spotifty.

In March,World Athleticsannounced it had tasked Duplantis withcomposing the anthemfor the inaugural staging of theWorld Athletics Ultimate Championships, set for September.

Already a megastar in Sweden, Duplantis continues to go global with his profile, too. In late April he appeared on the cover ofEsquire Spain, with the headline, “El hombre con la cabeza en las nubes” - “The man with his head in the clouds”.

But who wouldn’t want to be floating with Mondo?

The Swede himself would like to hang more withCarlos Alcaraz, the tennis champ,tellingEsquire: “He’s probably the coolest and more genuine person I’ve ever met.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: (L-R) Mondo Duplantis and Desire Inglander attend the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy

Loaded pole vault field at Shanghai

Duplantis will have to be at the top of his game in Shanghai come Saturday, with a ‘who’s who’ field of men’s pole vaulting joining him.

Greece’sEmmanouil Karaliswill feature, a fellow 26-year-old who has become Duplantis’ chief rival over the past year or so, finishing with silver at the last three global championships after winning bronze atParis 2024.

Karalis moved to second on the all-time list in February with a 6.17m effort in front of home fans in Athens.

The Shanghai field also includes two-time world champSam Kendricksof the USA, two-time world bronze medallistKurtis Marschallof Australia as well asSondre Guttormsen(NOR),Menno Vloon(NED) and France’sThibaut Collet.

Duplantis is aware of the Karalis charge in particular, which will be on full display in Shanghai.

“He’s a great competitor; he shows up really well when he needs to,“he said in Marchat the World Indoors.

“He’s definitely pushing himself to a whole other level - also now, clearly. It’s really fun. I think it’s really exciting for the sport.

Duplantis added: “It’s better for me; it pushes me. And hopefully people can be more interested in pole vault, because that’s the event that I love. And maybe the attention doesn’t have to be on me.”

TORUN, POLAND: (L-R) Silver medalist, Emmanouil Karalis of Team Greece, gold medalist, Armand Duplantis of Team Sweden, and bronze medalist, Kurtis Marschall of Team Australia, pose for a photo during the medal ceremony for the Men’s Pole Valut Final on day three of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 2026 at Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena on March 22, 2026 in Torun, Poland. (Photo by Michael Steele

Picture by 2026 Getty Images