Miltiadis Tentoglou, Greece’s long jump champion, stunned Europe at the European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division yesterday by completing a world-leading jump of 8.46 meters.
This was a phenomenal performance that secured maximum points for Greece but also shattered the championship record. It was yet another performance that simply showed who the undisputed king of the long jump is.
Under the scorching temperatures that currently affect Spain, Tentoglou performed his first jump, landing on 8.15 meters, only to be followed by his colossal 8.46-meter leap on his second attempt.
This second jump put Greece’s Tentoglou out of reach of the competition. What is even more fascinating is that the reigning Olympic champion actually missed the take-off board by a significant 14 centimeters, making his achievement all the more shocking.
He followed this up with another stellar jump of 8.44 meters in the fourth round, exhibiting incredible consistency, as he was in great shape. With victory in the bag, Tentoglou wisely opted to skip his final two attempts, having clearly done his work for the day. Sweden’s Thobias Montler took a distant second with 8.08 meters, while Italy’s Mattia Furlani rounded out the top three with 8.07 meters.
Who is Greece’s legend, Miltiadis Tentoglou?
Miltiadis Tentoglou, or simply “Miltos” as he’s known to his fans, has become a national obsession in Greece and a true superstar on the global athletics stage. Born on March 18, 1998, Tentoglou has built a reputation for delivering when he is under the greatest amount of stress.
The 27-year old is a double Olympic Champion, having struck gold at both the Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) and the recent Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This remarkable achievement makes him the only long jumper since the legendary Carl Lewis to achieve back-to-back Olympic titles. However, his trophy collection doesn’t end there.
The Olympic medalist didn’t start track and field until he was fifteen years old. Just a year before his stunning performance in Madrid on Saturday, he claimed yet another gold at the 2024 European Championships in Rome, where he set a new personal best of 8.65 meters.
Tentoglou has also earned a silver medal at the outdoor World Championships. He holds an impressive six European titles, including a record three consecutive outdoor wins (2018, 2022, 2024) and three successive indoor titles (2019-2023).
Earlier in his career, he was the U20 champion in 2017 and the European U23 champion in 2019. In 2022, he became the Diamond League long jump champion. Domestically, he holds the Greek indoor record and has secured ten national long jump titles.
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