Earlier this month, the teenage pole vaulter set a personal best and a world junior record with 5.78 meters at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Greece. “That felt pretty good, especially since we had aimed for that height. To achieve it in Greece was really huge,” Karalis said.
On March 4, Karalis will be competing with the best pole vaulters in the globe at the 2018 IAAF World Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom. “It’s in two weeks, and we are preparing for that competition,” he said, where he is hoping to deliver his best athletic performance yet. “We are going to have fun!” he exclaimed.
An avid fan of technology, Karalis loves documenting his pole vault training and successes with GoPro, which allows the viewer to see the jump from the vaulter’s standpoint. Karalis noted that he hopes to devote more time to that in the future.
Karalis had nothing but the nicest words about his fellow pole vaulters Piotr Lisek, Thiago Braz, Mondo Duplantis, Sam Kendricks, and Shawn Barber. “We are all good friends,” he admitted.
In particular, Karalis has enjoyed training with 2016 Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz in Italy.
To learn more about Emmanuel Karalis, follow him on Instagram and on Facebook.
