World record holder Mondo Duplantis will compete at the London Stadium on July 18 when the Novuna London Athletics Meet takes place. The event marks the 11th stop in the 2026 Wanda Diamond League series.
The Swedish pole vaulter last competed at the venue in 2018. That appearance came during the Anniversary Games, where he placed third behind Sam Kendricks of the United States and France’s Renaud Lavillenie.
Duplantis won his third world championship title in Tokyo earlier this year. He cleared 6.30m at the competition to retain his crown and set another world record. The 26-year-old has now broken the world record 14 times since 2020.
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His recent achievements earned him recognition at the World Athletics Awards on Sunday. Duplantis received the Men’s World Athlete of the Year honor following a season that also included his fifth consecutive Diamond League title in Zurich.
The pole vaulter made his London Stadium debut at age 17 during the 2017 World Championships. He finished ninth in that competition. His only other Diamond League appearance in the UK happened in Gateshead in 2021, where he placed second to Kendricks.
Duplantis will aim to break Lavillenie’s meeting record of 6.03m. That mark has stood since 2015.
“It’s been too long since I last competed in London,” said Duplantis, as reported by the World Athletics. “My first ever World Championships was at the Olympic Stadium in 2017 and although I was still pretty inexperienced, I could appreciate the incredible atmosphere, so it means a lot to me to go back. There’s just something about that place.”
He added that he plans to use the crowd support during his performance. “Every year I see athletes raise their game in the London Diamond League so I’m excited to get out there and use that crowd noise to my advantage. I’ve never won in London, so obviously that’s the main goal.”
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