Mattia Furlani flew to his best ever season's opener of 8.33m, also a world lead and meeting record, at the Meeting de Paris Indoor, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting, on Sunday (25).
The world indoor and outdoor champion continues to impress more and more as he starts his 2026 campaign with a consistent series that saw four of his jumps measured over 8.20m. His winning jump of 8.33m was only six centimetres shy of his lifetime best set in winning gold at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
In second behind him was Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov, who defeated Furlani for the European indoor title in Apeldoorn last year, with a best mark of 8.15m. He opened his season with a lifetime best of 8.27m in Plovdiv last week.
Sweden's Thobias Montler jumped 7.97m for the second time this season to take third with two-time world U20 champion and reigning European U23 champion Erwan Konate fourth with 7.84m.
Meanwhile in the women’s long jump, two-time world indoor medallist Fatima Diame from Spain won with her second round jump of 6.57m, before struggling to get a mark in on the final three rounds.
On the track, Laeticia Bapte also stormed to victory in the 60m hurdles with 7.92 in front of the home crowd, which is also her best season opener in the event. She won ahead of Ireland’s Sarah Lavin in 7.98, also a qualifying time for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze as she chases her first global medal.
World and European indoor bronze medallist Patrizia van Der Weken from Luxembourg took victory in the 60m in 7.16 in her fifth race over this distance this year.
She won ahead of USA’s Chante Clinkscale who equalled her PB of 7.23s with Portuguese record-holder Lorene Dorcas Bazolo taking third in 7.26.
Finishing in fourth was Italy’s reigning European U20 100m and 4x100m champion, 16-year-old Kelly Doualla, who clocked 7.28 in her first race of the year.
The men’s pole vault saw an equalling of the world lead of 5.90m by USA’s Zachery Bradford, with France’s Baptiste Thiery in second with is best season opener of 5.80m.
In the men’s 60m hurdles, US teammate Darius Brown took the win in 7.54 while Erwann Cinna crossed the line for 7.62 to finish second on home soil.