Tentoglou makes history

Miltaidis Tentoglou and Yaroslava Mahucikh defend their European title.

In the morning session of the final day of European Athletics Indoor Championships, Miltiadis Tentoglou and Yaroslava Mahucikh won gold medal in men’s long jump and women’s high jump, respectively and retained their title.

Two-time defending champion Miltiadis Tentoglou completed the three-peat and became the first athlete to have three gold medals in men’s long jump since Hans Baumgartner (1971, 1973, 1977). Greek long jumper also became the first athlete to have three consecutive European titles. Tentoglou’s 8.30 jump on his first attempt was enough to win the race. This also became the 24-year-old’s fifth European title in total, indoors and outdoors.

Thobias Montler was another athlete in men’s long jump who completed a three-peat, this time in second place. The Swede also extended his podium streak to eight European Indoor Championships by repeating his season best of 8.19 on his third attempt. Gabriel Bitan, with a leap of 8.00 metres, brought the Romainan drought of 18 medalless years in men’s long jump since Bogdan Tarus’s silver, to an end.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who won all the races she contested this year, defended her title in Istanbul. The Ukrainian, who became the European champion in Torun two years ago, made it to 1.98 for her second consecutive European Indoor Championships gold medal. Britt Weerman of the Netherlands, by winning silver, brought home the country’s first women’s high jump medal in 48 years since Annemieke Bouma’s bronze. The 19-year-old equalled the Dutch record with 1.96 en route to the European silver. Another Ukrainian in the line-up, 29-year-old Kateryna Tabashnyk, won the first medal of her senior career with bronze. Last year’s European outdoor bronze medallist Angelina Topic came in fourth with 1.94, which is the U20 world leading mark.