Greek long jumper Miltos Tentoglou, the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, advanced to the final of the Paris Olympics with an 8.32-meter jump. He will compete on Tuesday.
After his successful attempt, Tentoglou said “It was the qualifiers; it was easy for me. I usually don’t have problems in the qualifiers. I also came here with a lot of confidence and very ready to win. That’s why I was prepared even for the qualifiers. There’s no reason to waste effort and struggle unnecessarily. The weather wasn’t great today, but it doesn’t matter. I can jump anywhere, at any time.”
When asked about the atmosphere in the stadium, Tentoglou told Athens News Agency (AMNA), “Yes, the stadium was full, and the crowd was cheering for all the athletes. There was even a loud cheer when I made my jump. It will definitely be nice in the final too.”
“I hope the weather will be good and there won’t be a headwind. Yesterday, I don’t know if you saw the women’s triple jump; it was terrible. Hopefully, it will be sunny and calm. That would be perfect for me. I might even set a record.”
Meanwhile, Greek high jumper Tatiana Gusin and hammer thrower Christos Frantzeskakis will make their Olympic final debuts.
Gusin, recovering from previous injuries, will aim to improve her season’s best of 1.94 meters in the high jump. The final will also feature top athletes, including world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine and Australia’s Eleanor Patterson.
Frantzeskakis, competing in his second Olympics, hopes to surpass his season’s best hammer throw of 76.86 meters.
