Greek long jumper Miltos Tentoglou, the defending European champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has qualified for the men’s final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham with a jump of 8.26 meters on his second attempt in Monday’s qualifying round.
The 28-year-old Tentoglou, who has won a record three consecutive outdoor European titles, in 2018, 2022 and 2024, has six European titles overall. He will bid for a fourth straight outdoor European crown in the Birmingham final, scheduled for Tuesday night.
“This was one of my best qualification marks after Paris 2024 so I’m happy. I wanted to do it with my first attempt but the wind changed on me,” Tentoglou said. “Tomorrow [Tuesday], I want to jump 8.50m, 8.60m and win. I’m good, so I should be able to. I have defended so many titles, so I don’t feel the pressure, I feel excited,” he added.
Italy’s Francesco Inzoli posted the longest jump in qualifying, reaching 8.34 meters, although his effort was assisted by a favorable wind of 3.1 meters per second and therefore exceeded the permitted wind limit for record purposes. Serbia’s Luka Boskovic, aged 20, followed with 8.33 meters, aided by a favorable wind of 2.4 meters per second. For long jump, the wind limit for an effort to be eligible for record purposes is +2.0 m/s.
