Greece’s Olympic champion, Miltiadis Tentoglou, clinched the gold medal in the long jump event at the World Championships on Thursday. His ultimate leap of 8.52 meters in the final moments propelled him past the long-standing leader, Wayne Pinnock of Jamaica.
Last year’s silver medalist, Tentoglou, started the competition with a bang, registering a remarkable season’s best of 8.50 meters on his opening jump. However, Pinnock matched this impressive distance in the second round.
Pinnock had initially taken the lead with a phenomenal world-leading jump of 8.54 meters during Wednesday’s qualifying, which also marked a personal improvement of 17 centimeters. This lead was established based on a margin of just one centimeter in terms of the best second jump.
Nonetheless, in the closing round, Tentoglou executed a flawless jump, aligning perfectly with the board and surging ahead. Pinnock couldn’t surpass his previous performance in his final attempt.
Securing the bronze medal was Jamaican athlete Tajay Gayle, who achieved an 8.27-meter leap in his last endeavor. He tied with compatriot Carey McLeod in distance but secured the advantage on countback.
During McLeod’s third jump, an unfortunate slip during takeoff resulted in a dramatic mid-air spin before he landed face-first in the pit. Fortunately, he managed to avoid injury.
*With Reuters