Miltiadis Tentoglou has become the first male long jumper to win three successive European indoor titles, by claiming his third straight title with a jump of 8.30m at the indoor European Championships in Constantinople (Istanbul) on Sunday.
Tentoglou’s 8.30m was followed by Tobias Modler (Sweden) 8.19m and Gabriel Bitan (Romania) at 8.00m. The Greek champion also won this title in 2019 and 2021 and is the reigning Olympic, European and world indoor champion.
His joy was muted by the national tragedy in Tempe, a tragic event that while speaking to TV broadcaster ERT he said it left him with mixed feelings after winning a gold medal.
“What happened was tragic. I am ashamed to speak. What Nyfantopoulos said was the best: that we may be competing here but no one can ease the pain of these people. I do not know where I should dedicate this victory,” Tentoglou said.
He thanked the Greek fans for cheering on the athletes on the Greek team.
“It is important for me and I am glad I achieved this. I was not that good, it was an early start,” Tentoglou added.
“I tried my best and had a good jump but it was invalid. I normally do the biggest jump first and if this had been an evening event I would certainly have jumped 8.5 meters.
“I am not unbeatable, in European games, I’m OK but today I could have lost because I was not my best self. That’s how games are, the favourites lose and the outsiders can do something good.”
Another promising Greek athlete, Nikos Andrikopoulos received his first-ever silver medal with a jump of 16.58m in the triple jump while Emmanuel Karalis won his first medal at the men’s European Indoor Championship.
With a jump of 5.80m, the vaulter climbed to the second step of the podium, giving Greece its third medal in the event.
Karalis came fifth at the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, fourth at the 2019 European Indoor Championships in Glasgow and fourth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The young jumper dedicated the medal to himself, in his statements to ERT, after this success, while he did not forget to mention the fatal train accident in Tempe.
So far Greece has achieved 37 medals in the history of the indoor European Championship event.
In all, the Greek delegation completed its efforts at the 38th European Indoor Athletics Championships, hosted in Istanbul, with three medals (11th place in the final medal table).
The athletes with the most participations:
7 Kostas Koukodimos (length)
7 Voula Patoulidou (60 m/60 m long)
7 Kostas Filippidis (pole vault) 7 Kostas Filippidis (pole vault)
6 Louis Chatumas (length)
6 Nicole Kyriakopoulou (pole vault)
5 Kostas Baniotis (height)
5 Niki Bakoyianni (height)
5 Georgia Koklonis (60 m)
The Greek medals in European Championships in indoor athletics in detail:
Gold
1. Katerina Thanou 1996 (Stockholm) 60m. 7.15
2. Angelos Pavlakakis 1998 (Valencia) 60m. 6.55
3. Katerina Thanou 2000 (Ghent) 60m. 7.05
4. Niki Xanthou 2002 (Vienna) 6.74m.
5. Katerina Stefanidi 2017 (Belgrade) pole vault 4.85m.
6. Miltos Tentoglou 2019 (Glasgow) long jump 8.38m.
7. Miltos Tentoglou 2021 (Torun) length 8,35m.
8. Miltos Tentoglou 2023 (Istanbul) length 8,30m.
Silver
1. Spilios Zacharopoulos 1972 (Grenoble) 1.500m. 3:46.08
2. Vassilis Papageorgopoulos 1976 (Munich) 60m. 6.67
3. Alexandros Terzian 1994 (Paris) 60m. 6.51
4. Kostas Koukodimos 1994 (Paris) 8.09m.
5. Alexis Alexopoulos 1996 (Stockholm) 200m. 21.05
6. Niki Bakoyianni 1996 (Stockholm) height 1.96m.
7. George Theodorides 2000 (Ghent) 60m. 6.51
8. Georgia Koklonis 2005 (Madrid) 60m 7.18
9. Stella Pilatou 2005 (Madrid) 6.64m.
10. Louis Chatumas 2007 (Birmingham) 8.02m.
11. Katerina Stefanidi 2015 (Prague) pole vault 4.75m.
12. Antonis Mastoras 2015 (Prague) height 2.31m.
13. Kostas Filippidis 2017 (Belgrade) pole vault 5.85m.
14. Voula Papachristou 2019 (Glasgow) triple jump 14.50m.
15. Kostas Baniotis 2019 (Glasgow) height 2,26m.
16. Emmanuel Karalis 2023 (Istanbul) pole vault 5.80m.
17. Nikos Andrikopoulos 2023 (Istanbul) triple jump 16.58m.
Bronze
1. Vassilis Papageorgopoulos 1972 (Grenoble) 50m. 5.82
2. Vassilis Papadimitriou 1973 (Rotterdam) height 2.17m.
3. George Panagiotopoulos 1994 (Paris) 200m. 20.99
4. Spyros Vasdekis 1996 (Stockholm) 8.03m.
5. Olga Vasdeki 1996 (Stockholm) triple jump 14.30m.
6. Panagiotis Papoulias 1996 (Stockholm) 3.000m. 7:50.80
7. Katerina Koffa 1998 (Valencia) 200m. 22.86
8. Angelos Pavlakakis 2000 (Ghent) 60m. 6.54
9. Georgia Koklonis 2002 (Vienna) 60m. 7.22
10. Maria Karastamatis 2005 (Madrid) 60m. 7.25
11. Voula Papachristou 2017 (Belgrade) triple jump 14.24m.
12. Nicole Kyriakopoulou 2019 (Glasgow) pole vault 4.65m.
