The Fly Athens meet returns to the iconic Panathenaic Stadium once more on 5 July, shown live on European Athletics’ website* from 3:30pm (CEST).
*not available to watch in Greece
The Panathenaic Stadium hosted the first modern Olympic Games, and is in the heart of Athens with the Parthenon also visible in the distance.
But this Sunday it will host the iconic meet with home hero Emmanouil Karalis returning to defend his title.
Last year he won this meet with a jump of 6.00m and the year before with 5.82m, as well as a win at the indoor Fly Athens meet in February this year with 5.90m.
However, while he is the favourite to win again, Karalis will face tough competition as the quality of the meet continues to increase year-on-year.
Former world record holder Renaud Lavillenie will be competing at the meet for the first time, looking to upset Karalis after he bumped the Frenchman down to third on the all-time list when the Greek jumped 6.17m in February.
The 2012 Olympic champion, three-time European champion, and five-time world medallist, Lavillenie, has cleared a best of 5.70m this year but cleared 5.91m last year.
Reigning European Athletics indoor champion, Menno Vloon, will also challenge for the win in Athens after clearing a best of 5.85m this year.
Though Lavillenie won’t be the only Frenchman in attendance, as Baptiste Thiery will also be competing fresh from setting a new PB of 5.93m at the Paris Diamond League.
Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre, a former European silver medallist, will also be in the Greek capital having cleared 5.82m this season.
The Philippines’ EJ Obiena, a two-time world medallist, and America’s Chris Nilsen, who was on the same two world podiums as well as taking an Olympic silver in 2021, will also both be competing having cleared 5.78m and 5.92m respectively this year.
The women’s event is also stacked with some of the best in the world, including Tina Sutej of Slovenia who took bronze at the world championships in Tokyo last year and has cleared 4.80m twice this year.
Joining her is New Zealand’s Imogen Ayris who took bronze at the world athletics indoor championships this year before going to set a PB of 4.81m in June.
However, one of the biggest stars of the women’s event is arguably Greece’s own Aikaterina Stefanidi who has returned to the sport after having a baby.
The former Olympic, world and two-time European champion has jumped a season’s best of 4.48m and has seen a steady increase in height since returning in February.