Monaco, January 22 (QNA) - The Diamond League said today that world and European champion Mondo Duplantis will participate in the pole vault event at the Doha leg of the Diamond League.

The Diamond League said on its official website that Duplantis will begin his 2026 season in Doha, the opening round of the Diamond League, meaning the competition will be one of the strongest events of the 2026 season with the presence of the Olympic and world champion. The statement described Duplantis as having a distinctive style that inspires generations in the pole vault.

The Diamond League confirmed that Duplantis’s participation in Doha marks the start of his challenge to defend his title as the best pole vaulter and Diamond Trophy winner from the 2025 season, after breaking the meeting record and competing against himself from one round to the next.

Duplantis, 26, is regarded as the most prominent athlete in the history of the pole vault, having won the Olympic gold medal twice and claimed six world championship titles at the senior level (three outdoors and three indoors). He has also won three consecutive European outdoor titles and five consecutive Diamond League titles from 2021 to 2025.

He has broken the world record multiple times since 2020, most recently with a jump of 6.30 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September, where he won the gold medal.

The Doha leg of the Diamond League will be held at the track and field stadium of Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium at Qatar SC on May 8, as the first round of the series worldwide. It will feature 14 races and field events for men and women in each of the 15 rounds scheduled around the world. (QNA)