Angelina Topic wins an unprecedented high jump/long jump double at Jerusalem 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships

Posted : 07 August 2023

Angelina Topic's ambitious attempt to achieve an unprecedented high jump/long jump double began on a promising note during the initial morning session of the Jerusalem 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships.

Amidst scorching morning heat at the Givat Ram Stadium, Topic secured her place in the high jump final efficiently. She achieved this with two successful clearances at 1.80m and 1.83m.

Reflecting on her performance, Topic expressed, "The qualification went really well, and I feel better than ever. The conditions were favorable because we started early. I executed two solid jumps."

Topic's journey brings her back to the venue where she clinched the high jump title at last year's European Athletics U18 Championships. However, this year, the rising Serbian star has embarked on a more challenging task by participating in two events.

She acknowledged, "But I've only completed a quarter of my mission so far. I still have the long jump qualification and finals ahead. Now, I need some rest in the hotel. The main focus now is the high jump, but once I'm done with that, I have another day to concentrate on the long jump."

If Topic succeeds in this endeavor, she would etch her name in history as the first athlete, regardless of gender, to triumph in both events since the inception of the European Athletics U20 Championships in 1970.

Sharing the high jump final with Topic are accomplished jumpers such as Merel Maes of Belgium, Elisabeth Pihela of Estonia, and Johanna Goring of Germany, all of whom have cleared 1.90m or more this season.

Contrastingly, Mattia Furlani is exclusively focusing on the long jump this season. The talented Italian, who previously secured the long jump and high jump titles at the European Athletics U18 Championships, took the lead in qualifying with a leap of 8.07m.

Furlani revealed, "The 8.07m felt good and relatively easy. I didn't push myself too hard, so I was a bit surprised. I aim to replicate such a performance in the final and strive for even greater success."

Another versatile contender, Bozhidar Saraboyukov from Bulgaria, comfortably surpassed the automatic qualifying line of 7.75m on his first attempt, achieving an impressive 7.87m. Having secured silver in the high jump at last year's World Athletics U20 Championships, Saraboyukov is also set to compete in the triple jump at these championships.

In the heptathlon, Jana Koscak of Croatia, the youngest athlete in the field, asserts her dominance after two events. While her performances were slightly below her achievements at the Gotzis Hypo-Meeting, where she set a world U18 best of 6293 points, Koscak posted the fastest time in the 100m hurdles (13.37) and excelled in the high jump with a clearance of 1.86m.

With the shot put event on the horizon, Koscak leads the standings with 2123 points, followed by Sandrina Sprengel of Germany (2030 points) and Liisa-Maria Lusti of Estonia (1973 points).

The reigning champion, Nick Griggs from Ireland, smoothly advanced through the 3000m heats. His path to a second gold medal was made somewhat smoother as Dutch talent Niels Laros opted to compete in the 1500m heats.

Griggs commented on his preparations for the conditions, sharing, "I've been engaging in heat training - for every run, I've been donning extra layers and using a sauna for half an hour. It wasn't enjoyable, but I managed to do it."

Valentina Savva, the European U18 hammer champion from last year, comfortably progressed to the women's hammer final. She surpassed the automatic qualifying mark with her opening throw, reaching an impressive 64.48m.

Charlie Carvell, the British team captain, set a personal best of 45.92 to qualify as the fastest for the men's 400m final. Meanwhile, pre-event favorite Lurdes Gloria Manuel led the women's 400m heats with a time of 53.15.

Angelina Topic wins an unprecedented high jump/long jump double at Jerusalem 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships

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