Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis withdrew from Friday’s men’s pole vault at the Diamond League Final because of persistent leg tightness, creating fresh uncertainty over his fitness one week before the season-ending World Athletics Ultimate Championships.
Duplantis felt the problem during his warm-up in Brussels and decided not to start, according to a Reuters report published on September 4.
The 26-year-old said the issue first emerged at the London Diamond League meeting in July. After a period of rehabilitation, the discomfort returned when he competed in Zurich last week, where he pushed through the problem before it resurfaced in Brussels.
His withdrawal removed one of the Final’s leading attractions. A World Athletics preview had billed Duplantis as the defending champion facing a deep field in Brussels, where the two-day Final closes the 2026 Diamond League season on September 4 and 5.
The immediate concern now shifts to Budapest. The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships are scheduled for September 11–13 and will bring leading athletes together for a compact season finale.
Reuters reported that Duplantis could not yet confirm whether he would recover in time. His availability would be a major issue for the event: he is the men’s pole vault world-record holder and a double Olympic champion, and remains one of athletics’ most prominent competitors.
The Ultimate Championships carry a record total prize fund of $10 million, with $150,000 for each individual champion. Duplantis’ condition will therefore be closely watched during the final week before competition begins.
