BIRMINGHAM (United Kingdom) — Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou soared out to a record-equalling fourth European Athletics long jump title in Birmingham, but Italian Marcell Jacobs was unable to claim a third 100m gold.
Tentoglou, the double Olympic champion, came under pressure from Swiss athlete Simon Ehammer, but produced a winning 8.44 metres on his fourth attempt.
Tentoglou emulated Germany’s Heike Drechsler who won four successive European women’s long jump titles between 1986 and 1998.
“This was one of the hardest finals I have ever done,” said Tentoglou. “I am good in all conditions but this wind was so hard on us long jumpers.
“Ehammer is a very strong guy and he was kind of OK with it. But for the other jumpers and me, it was incredibly difficult,” Tentoglou added according to AFP.
Tentoglou said: “I had to try so hard for this 8.44m jump. It is nothing for me usually but today it was so hard to do. This is one of my most precious victories because it is also a complex season for me. This is the start of winning golds again.”
Like Tentoglou, Jacobs is a proven championship performer.
But the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and firm favourite for the blue riband event fell short in his quest to win a third title and equal a feat only achieved by Ukrainian Valeriy Borzov (1969, 1971, 1974) and Britain’s Linford Christie (1986, 1990, 1994).
The 31-year-old Italian suffered a terrible start and seemed to pull up halfway through the race before continuing to the finish line in a jog. He then walked off with a slight limp.
“I think my injury is serious because I felt something before the start when I tried the blocks,” said Jacobs.
“Something pulled on my adductor so I know it was serious. In the blocks I tried to push at the limit but at 50m I felt something pull seriously.
“Now I will try to understand how serious this is and we will see about the rest of the season. I cannot control everything and this is a part of the sport.”
