European Athletics U20 Championship 2023 Jerusalem: Italy's Mattia Furlani wins impressive men's long jump

Posted : 09 August 2023

In what marked the most remarkable men's long jump competition in the history of the European Athletics U20 Championship, Italy's exceptional athlete, Mattia Furlani, emerged victorious in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

As a strong favorite prior to the event, Furlani, the world U20 leader, surpassed the 36-year-old championship record set by Vladimir Ochkan with a remarkable leap of 8.23m (-0.2m/s) in the first round. His performance exceeded the record by six centimeters, falling just a centimeter short of his personal best. This impressive achievement seemed to secure his dominance early in the competition. However, Bulgaria's Bozhidar Saraboyukov posed a challenge.

Saraboyukov, renowned for his prowess in the high jump and a silver medalist at the previous year's World Athletics U20 Championships, demonstrated his versatility by consistently crossing the eight-meter mark in the long jump. He registered an extraordinary series of jumps, including a national U20 record of 8.22m (+1.6m/s) in the second round. Although he missed gold by a mere centimeter, his performance showcased a significant improvement from the previous day's lifetime best. Ukraine's Nikita Masliuk clinched the bronze with a jump of 7.97m (+2.3m/s).

A relieved Furlani shared his thoughts afterward, stating, "I want to congratulate Bozhidar because he is a great person, a great athlete, it was crazy. My only thoughts were jump, work hard. In the second jump there was too much wind and I started feeling the pressure of the competition. I decided not to do the last jump because I was tired, and I want to go to Budapest at my best."

In the women's hammer throw, Cyprus' Valentina Savva, the world U20 leader, continued her impressive journey. Consistently producing strong throws, her second-round effort of 64.64m secured her the gold medal. Germany's Jada Julien secured the silver with a final-round throw of 62.92m, while Hungary's Jázmin Csatári claimed the bronze with an opening-round throw of 62.47m. Reflecting on her performance, Savva shared her ambitious spirit: "I wanted to throw my PB today and to get close to 70m but it did not happen, so I am a little bit disappointed. But I won so that is the most important thing at the end of the day. I am always 100 percent sure that I am going to win, I have the confidence and I think I am the best."

The men's 100m saw Poland's Marek Zakrzewski emerge as the victor, setting a national U20 record of 10.25 (+0.6m/s). His victory marked the first leg of his sprint double aspirations, as he looked ahead to the 200m semifinals with determination: "This is a fantastic victory for me, but it is just the beginning of my mission - I am aiming for two golds at these championships. Now, my first thought is - I want to go to the ice bath to regenerate and to rest until tomorrow. Because I want to go for the magic double gold."

In the women's 100m, Joy Eze secured gold, adding to her bronze from two years prior. Eze's explosive start set her ahead of the competition, narrowly defeating British teammate Renee Regis by 0.01 in 11.39 (+2.0m/s). Hungary's Anna Kocsis claimed the bronze in 11.55, edging Germany's Chelsea Kadiri by a mere thousandth of a second.

Ukraine's Oleksandra Chernukha triumphed in the women's triple jump, snatching gold with an incredible last-round personal best of 13.63m (+0.4m/s). Serbia's Teodora Boberic and Aleksandrija Mitrovic secured silver and bronze, respectively.

In the heptathlon, Sandrina Sprengel secured victory, building on a solid lead to win with a total of 5928 points. Her fellow German, Pia Messing, moved up to silver, while Austria's Sophie Kreiner clinched the bronze.

The championships saw exceptional performances and inspiring moments, as athletes displayed their unwavering dedication and remarkable abilities on the grand stage.

European Athletics U20 Championship 2023 Jerusalem: Italy's Mattia Furlani wins impressive men's long jump

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