Pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis has admitted to a rare bout of nerves on the eve of the 2026 Diamond League season opener in Shanghai/Keqiao, where the Swede begins his outdoor campaign chasing a 40th consecutive victory against one of the deepest fields the discipline has assembled this year.
Duplantis, who broke the world record for a 15th time at the Mondo Classic in Sweden in March, told reporters in Shanghai that he was "nervous but fired up" for the Diamond League opener, a phrase that captured both the weight of expectation and his appetite for the renewed competition. The vaulter has not lost an outdoor or indoor competition since 2023, a streak that has now reached 39 victories and shows little sign of slowing.
The Shanghai/Keqiao field is the strongest the men's pole vault has produced in the opening Diamond League stop in several seasons. Veteran American Sam Kendricks is entered alongside Greece's Emmanouil Karalis, both of whom have cleared marks in the 6-metre range and represent the most credible threats to Duplantis's streak. The combined depth of the field has been used by Duplantis himself to explain why he expects the meeting to be unusually competitive.
The Diamond League season was originally scheduled to open in Doha on 8 May, but the meet was postponed because of the war in the Middle East. The change of venue pushed the opener back by eight days and made Shanghai/Keqiao the official launch point of the 2026 circuit. The 17th season of the Diamond League brings a freshly tweaked points and final structure, with athletes competing for places in the year-end final and a share of bonus prize money.
Duplantis's preparation for the opener has included a mix of training at his Louisiana base and travel with the rest of the global pole vault circuit. He has spoken openly in recent interviews about the role music plays in his preparation, with the release of his own tracks adding an off-track narrative that has helped sustain his profile through the off-season.
For the host city, Duplantis is one of the headline draws of the Shanghai/Keqiao programme, alongside Kenyan distance star Faith Kipyegon, Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo and a deep women's 100m hurdles field led by Tobi Amusan and Masai Russell. The mix of established legends and rising challengers has positioned the opener as one of the most-anticipated track meetings of the early season.
Whether Duplantis can extend his streak in Shanghai or finally meets his match in Kendricks and Karalis, the storyline ahead of the opener has already done its work. The pole vault remains one of athletics' most marketable disciplines, and Duplantis's combination of dominance and personality has been central to that rise. The Shanghai/Keqiao runway will be the first place to test whether the streak survives the new season.