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The Upset of the Year: Marschall Takes Down Duplantis Kurtis Marschall has pulled off one of the upsets of the sporting year as the Australian beat the seemingly unbeatable pole vault king Armand Duplantis in front of his home fans in the Stockholm Diamond League meeting. The Event Details: Marschall's Historic Win Marschall's victory was all the more remarkable given Duplantis's impressive record. The world’s top athlete was not happy his 40-event unbeaten run was ended after nearly three years, especially with his adoring Swedish public cheering him on. However, Duplantis was gracious in defeat, acknowledging that Marschall was the better man on the day. The Data Analysis: A Rare Off-Day for Duplantis Marschall cleared 5.90 meters on his third and final attempt. Duplantis had cleared 5.80 meters but failed three times at 6.00 meters and above. The Impact Analysis: A Shift in the Athletics Landscape This upset victory marks a significant moment in athletics, demonstrating that even the world's best athletes can have off-days. Marschall's win shows that other athletes are capable of rising to the challenge and beating the top competitors. The Prediction: What's Next for Duplantis and Marschall Duplantis has vowed to return stronger, stating that he will make sure to win in Stockholm next time. Marschall, on the other hand, will look to build on his confidence-boosting victory as he continues to compete at the highest level.

The Olympic Champion's Record Ambition Keely Hodgkinson has dangled the intriguing possibility that July's London Diamond League meeting could be the day where she takes down Jarmila Kratochvilova's 42-year-old 800m world record. The Olympic champion said she would wait until closer to the time before deciding whether to attempt to better the Czech's time of 1min 53.28sec, the oldest track and field world record still standing. A Potential Record-Breaking Showdown She joked that the meeting could turn into a "battle of the world records", with Josh Kerr, Britain's 1500m 2023 world gold medallist, aiming for a world mile record and the pole vaulter Armand Duplantis also competing. "I would love to have that happen on home soil," she said when asked about taking a crack at the 800m world record. "There's just the whole crowd and everything. As a British person it's just so much fun and it's definitely the main thing I'm looking forward to this year." Peak Physical Condition Hodgkinson confirmed she was in prime shape having kicked on in training after breaking the world indoor record in February and winning the world indoor championships in March. "So far, the preparation has gone very, very well," she said. "I'm very happy with where I'm at, I'm building on the indoor season that we've had. I've been healthy for a year now. I've not missed a training session, so I'm in a really, really good place." Outdoor Season Strategy The 24-year-old starts her outdoor season next week with a 400m in Rome before travelling to Stockholm on 7 June for her first 800m of the season. "The lineup in Rome is crazy," she said. "I've really thrown myself in the deep end. But it's quite good to put myself in a position where on paper, I think I'm going in slowest and against girls that have been doing this event and are world finalists and Olympic medallists." Long-Term Athletic Goals Hodgkinson said she has identified some major targets away from winning medals. "I was thinking about it the other day: 'Wouldn't it be really cool if I could do a sub-50, a sub-2 and a sub-4 in my career?" she said. "It's very difficult. But it's a nice little challenge to have in the background." These goals refer to sub-50 seconds in 400m, sub-2 minutes in 800m, and sub-4 minutes in 1500m.