Twenty-year-old Mattia Furlani won gold in the men’s long jump with a brilliant personal best of 8.39m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Wednesday (17).
The talented Italian has long been tipped as one of the sport’s brightest prospects, and he delivered on that promise by adding the outdoor crown to the world indoor title he claimed earlier this year in Nanjing.
At 20 years and 222 days, he is the youngest athlete ever to win the men's long jump at the World Athletics Championships, surpassing Carl Lewis' previous record of 22years and 44 days, set at the inaugural event in Helsinki 1983.
Biggest win yet
Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle set the early standard with a huge 8.33m opener, before China’s Shi Yuhao matched that mark in the second round, setting the stage for a high-quality contest. Furlani got himself into the competition with a second-round effort of 8.13m.
Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer, already a European and world bronze medallist, jumped 8.30m in the third round to move into contention. Gayle then extended his lead in the fourth round with 8.34m.
But in the fifth, Furlani produced his best when it mattered most, soaring to 8.39m to take over the gold medal position. None of his rivals could respond in the final round, leaving Gayle with silver and Shi with bronze.
For Furlani, it is the biggest triumph yet in a career already glittering with medals, including Olympic bronze, European silver, world indoor gold and silver, and European indoor silver.
Twice Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, bidding to defend his world title, fell short of his usual standards. The Greek star qualified strongly with a single leap of 8.17m, but in the final he could only manage 7.83m from his first three attempts, missing the cut and finishing 11th overall.
"Special evening"
"This is a most special evening," said Furlani. 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.
"I am in great shape tonight and I was confident I could do it. Now, I am here with this gold medal. This is a perfect year for me. I was working well and got into best shape for this competition and am coming out with gold.
"It is beautiful to be part of this Italian team. We have such a legacy from Italy. We are growing together and all learn so much from Gianmarco Tamberi and Marcell Jacobs. Now I want to relax and to see something in Japan because it is a magical place for me."