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PARIS: To say Miltiadis Tentoglou was in fine form would be an understatement as the reigning Olympic champion of Greece challenged the crowd with a jump of 8.32 metres in the men’s long jump qualifying round on Sunday, which was all he had to work for.
Tentoglou has defended his world indoor and European outdoor titles this season and has won all but one of the 11 competitions he has competed in. He has also improved his personal best to 8.65m, his best in five years.
That was at the European Championships, where he twice set that mark with an extremely consistent performance, including five jumps over 8.40 seconds – a mark only two other people have broken this year.
“I’m in really good shape, this is nothing for me, I feel really good, so we’ll see now if anyone can challenge me,” Tentoglou, 26, said after Sunday’s “one-hit wonder.”
Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer (8.41) and Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock (8.40) are close behind him on the world leaderboard this season, but Tentoglou is focused on one of the more well-known names in the sport – Carl Lewis.
The American, who won four consecutive Olympic titles from 1984 to 1996, is the only male athlete to successfully defend his title.
Tentoglou, a world champion, will aim to change that in Paris, and on Sunday he has a great chance of winning because there is no one else in the field who can match him.
“That would be amazing,” he said of the prospect. “That would make me one of the best players ever. Maybe not the best, but in terms of accomplishment. That would be extra motivation for me.”
China’s Wang Jianan, who won the 2022 world gold medal from Tentoglou in the last round, had a season’s best of 8.12 seconds, while Czech Radek Juska, who set a season’s best of 8.15 seconds, was the other runner to reach the automatic qualifying distance.
Pinnock and fellow Jamaican Carey McLeod, the only athlete to have beaten Tentoglou this year, also advanced.
The long jump is another event in which the United States has historically dominated, with 22 golds and 47 medals, but the U.S. has performed poorly in the past six events, winning just two golds.
Jarrion Lawson missed three jumps, Jeremiah Davis was 15th and Malcolm Clemons was 21st, giving the United States 12 men in Tuesday’s final. It was only the second time since 2008 that the United States has failed to send a man to the final. — Reuters
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