BIRMINGHAM – One of the most iconic records in European athletics was matched on Tuesday, as Greek long jump star Miltiadis Tentoglou claimed his fourth consecutive European long jump title, while Tokyo Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs saw his historic 100m three-peat bid derailed by a sudden injury at the championship event.
A two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist, Tentoglou entered the final as the favorite but faced relentless pressure from Swiss contender Simon Ehammer throughout the competition. Battling tricky, unpredictable wind conditions that disrupted the rhythm of most jumpers, the Greek star delivered a clutch performance on his fourth attempt, leaping 8.44 meters to secure the win.
With the victory, Tentoglou matched a long-standing record set by German great Heike Drechsler, who claimed four straight European women’s long jump titles between 1986 and 1998. Reflecting on the grueling competition after the win, Tentoglou called the final one of the most challenging of his entire career.
“This was one of the hardest finals I have ever done,” he told reporters. “I am good in all conditions but this wind was so hard on us long jumpers. Ehammer is a very strong guy and he was kind of OK with it. But for the other jumpers and me, it was incredibly difficult. I had to try so hard for this 8.44m jump. It is nothing for me usually but today it was so hard to do.”
Tentoglou added that the victory holds extra special weight after a tough competitive season, framing the win as a comeback starting point for future gold medal runs. “This is one of my most precious victories because it is also a complex season for me. This is the start of winning golds again,” he said.
Meanwhile, the evening brought disappointment for Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, the defending 100m champion who was heavily favored to clinch a third straight European title and match a historic record only previously achieved by Ukraine’s Valeriy Borzov and Britain’s Linford Christie.
The 31-year-old sprinter got off to a poor start in the final, and appeared to pull a muscle halfway through the race before slowing to a jog to cross the finish line, leaving the track with a visible limp. Speaking after the race, Jacobs confirmed he had felt discomfort in his adductor even before stepping into the starting blocks.
“I think my injury is serious because I felt something before the start when I tried the blocks. Something pulled on my adductor so I know it was serious,” he explained. “In the blocks I tried to push at the limit but at 50m I felt something pull seriously. Now I will try to understand how serious this is and we will see about the rest of the season. I cannot control everything and this is a part of the sport.”
With Jacobs out of contention, British sprinter Jeremiah Azu and Jamaican-born British athlete Zharnel Hughes Glave claimed the top two spots on the podium, with Glave taking gold in 10.09 seconds and Azu securing silver in 10.16 seconds. The win marked back-to-back British 100m titles, following Amy Hunt’s victory in the women’s event on Monday, which Glave described as “total domination” for the British sprint team.
In other championship action, Italy’s Nadia Battocletti continued her stellar medal streak by successfully defending her women’s 5000m title. The 25-year-old made her decisive move with 200 meters remaining in the race, pulling away from the pack to finish in 15:37.84. The win adds to Battocletti’s already impressive collection of accolades, which includes a 5000m/10000m double at the 2022 European Championships, two consecutive European cross-country titles, Olympic and world 10000m silver, and world indoor 3000m gold. Spain’s Marta García took silver, while Italy’s Micol Majori rounded out the podium in third.
The women’s 100m hurdles delivered a nail-biting finish, with Dutch star Nadine Visser edging out Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska by a fraction of a second to claim gold in 12.68 seconds, the result confirmed only after a photo finish. France’s Laetitia Bapte took bronze, beating out reigning world champion Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland.
In the men’s hammer throw, Hungary’s Bence Halasz, an Olympic silver medalist, broke Poland’s streak of dominance in the event to clinch his first major global gold medal with a world-leading throw of 84.25 meters. The win marks Halasz’s first major gold after seven previous close calls on the international stage. Germany’s Merlin Hummel took silver, while Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan secured bronze.