Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis added another prestigious title to his collection by winning the new elite tournament — the 2026 Absolute World Athletics Championships, held in Budapest. In the final in the Hungarian capital, the athlete flawlessly cleared all previous heights and confidently secured his "gold" by clearing the bar at 6.20 meters. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the results of the competition.
Victory in an Elite Format
In his capacity as the winner, Duplantis decided to delight the fans and raised the bar all the way to 6.32 meters, attempting to break his own world record. However, all three attempts at this height were unsuccessful, and the Swede failed to update the record. Nevertheless, the confident gold in the new tournament format became yet another confirmation of his dominance in pole vault on the international stage.
What Is the Absolute World Championship
The Absolute World Athletics Championships are a new tournament taking place from September 11 to 13, 2026, in Budapest. The competition format is fundamentally different from classic championships: it features only the world's top athletes — the 8 best in technical disciplines and 16 in running events. It is precisely this closed elite lineup that makes every start and every result at the tournament especially significant.
Ukrainian Athletes at the Tournament
Five Ukrainian athletes took part in the elite tournament: Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Iryna Herschenko, and Yulia Levchenko in the women's high jump, Oleksandr Doroshchuk in the men's high jump, and Mykhailo Kozhan in the hammer throw. It was previously reported that Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the "gold" of the Absolute World Championships, while Mykhailo Kozhan took third place, making the Ukrainian team's performance at this tournament a successful one.
Contradictory Data
When cross-checking sources, confusion arises over the dates and formats of the competitions, which is important to clarify. For instance, an RFI article from September 2025 reports that Duplantis "won the World Championships for the third time and updated the world record for the 14th time — 6.30 m," but this refers to the 2025 World Championships, not the 2026 Absolute Championships. At the actual 2026 Absolute Championships, the Swede took gold at 6.20 m and failed to clear 6.32 m, meaning the world record (6.30 m) was not updated at this tournament. Moreover, the quote "This gold is for my grandmother," attributed to Duplantis in a championat.com publication, refers to his victory at the 2026 European Championships (EC), not the Absolute World Championships. Thus, three different events (the 2025 World Championships, the 2026 European Championships, and the 2026 Absolute World Championships) may be erroneously merged into one in certain sources.
