Italy’s Mattia Furlani added the outdoor world long jump crown to the world indoor title he claimed in Nanjing in March, soaring to a personal best of 8.39m at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on Wednesday (17).
At 20 years of age, Furlani became the youngest ever winner of the men’s long jump at the World Championships, underlining the promise he has shown in recent seasons.
“This is the most special evening,” he said. “I worked so hard and put so much determination into getting a medal. I did not start the best way. At the beginning, I had a small problem with my run-up, but as usual I tried to stay calm and save the best for last.”
His decisive leap came in the fifth round, propelling him past Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, who had equalled his season’s best with 8.34m in the fourth round.
Furlani’s performance improved his previous PB of 8.38m, set in front of a home crowd at the European Championships in Rome last year, where he won silver with a world U20 record. Already an Olympic bronze medallist, the Italian has now taken another step into the history books.
The 2019 world champion Gayle had opened the final strongly with 8.33m on his first attempt before improving to 8.34m, a distance that looked set to secure gold until Furlani’s response.
“I have won my third world outdoor medal and not many people can say that,” said Gayle, who also claimed bronze in Budapest in 2023 with a leap of 8.27m. “It’s always a special feeling representing Jamaica on the global stage.”
China’s Shi Yuhao matched Gayle’s opening mark of 8.33m in round two and held on to claim bronze, just one centimetre behind Gayle.
Shi’s medal was one of the surprises of the night. “I got a serious injury in 2018 and was close to finishing my career,” said the 26-year-old, who arrived in Tokyo ranked only 30th in the world. “But my passion paid off tonight.”
He improved his season’s best by 12 centimetres, building on the 8.21m he had set earlier this year at the Diamond League meeting in Shaoxing.
Meanwhile, defending champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Miltiadis Tentoglou endured a shock exit. “It was the worst competition of my life,” he admitted. “I was feeling great during warm-up, but maybe it was my mistake that I did it more powerfully than usual.”
Despite saying he was in the shape of his life, Tentoglou cramped in both calves during his first attempt and managed only 7.83m. Arriving in Tokyo as the world leader with 8.46m, he failed to make the top eight and finished 11th overall.
Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer narrowly missed the podium with a third-round leap of 8.30m. The Diamond League champion, fourth at last year’s Olympics with 8.20m, also owns long jump bronze from the 2022 World Championships in Oregon.
Andjela Cegar for World Athletics
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