Italy’s Mattia Furlani announced himself as the new force in men’s long jump, soaring to a personal best of 8.39 metres to win gold at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Wednesday (17).
The 20-year-old, who claimed the world indoor crown earlier this year in Nanjing, became the youngest and first Italian to win the outdoor title.
Full Results
- Mattia Furlani (ITA) – 8.39 PB (+0.2)
- Tajay Gayle (JAM) – 8.34 =SB (−0.1)
- Yuhao Shi (CHN) – 8.33 SB (+0.0)
- Simon Ehammer (SUI) – 8.30 (−0.2)
- Bozhidar Sarâboyukov (BUL) – 8.19 (−0.2)
- Mingkun Zhang (CHN) – 8.18 (−0.2)
- Thobias Montler (SWE) – 8.17 (+0.4)
- Lester Lescay (ESP) – 7.97 (+0.1)
- Nikaoli Williams (JAM) – 7.85 (+0.2)
- Isaac Grimes (USA) – 7.85 (−0.1)
- Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) – 7.83 (+0.3)
- Jaime Guerra (ESP) – 7.81 (+0.1)
Furlani produced his winning effort on the fifth attempt, flying past Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, the 2019 world champion, who had earlier registered 8.34 metres to equal his season’s best. China’s Shi Yuhao sealed bronze with 8.33 metres, just a centimetre short of silver, while Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer finished a close fourth with 8.30m.
The night proved bitterly disappointing for Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, the reigning Olympic and defending world champion. The world leader coming into the championships with 8.46m, Tentoglou could only manage 7.83m in the opening round, finishing 11th and failing to advance past the first three jumps.
Furlani’s breakthrough victory adds another chapter to Italy’s growing athletics success, while marking the beginning of what could be a dominant era for the young jumper.