Tentoglou soars to second world indoor long jump title

GLASGOW : Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece edged Italian teenager Mattia Furlani to win long jump gold at the world indoor athletics championships on Saturday, adding another world title to his glittering resume.

The 25-year-old Tentoglou, the reigning Olympic and world outdoor and indoor champion, and the 19-year-old Furlani both leapt 8.22 metres on their opening jumps. The tiebreak went to Tentoglou as his second-best effort was better than Furlani's.

Carey McLeod of Jamaica won bronze with 8.21 metres.

Furlani, whose silver was his first global medal, flew to what looked to be the winning jump on his sixth and final attempt, but the red flag went up to signal a foul because he stepped past the take-off board.

Foul jumps could soon be a thing of the past. World Athletics plans to trial a system to eliminate them by implementing a take-off zone where jumps would be measured from an athlete's take-off to landing position.

Citing the fact that a third of all jumps at the 2023 world outdoor championships were no-jumps, World Athletics said the proposed new rules would make the event more appealing to fans.