Tokyo 2025: Impressive Tentoglou advances to the final with first jump at 8.17m

Calm and confident, Miltiadis Tentoglou wanted to get qualification retired of the mode quickly—and helium did conscionable that.

With the modular acceptable astatine 8.15m, the Greek champion, successful the precise stadium wherever helium won his archetypal Olympic golden medal, “flew” to 8.17m and booked his spot successful Wednesday’s (Sept. 17, 14:49) World Championships final.

Tentoglou was the archetypal athlete, chronologically, to unafraid a spot successful the final. His take-off was 12.6 cm distant from perfect, and helium reached a velocity of 37.5 km/h. The two-time Olympic golden medalist has faced respective insignificant injuries this year, adjacent 1 conscionable a time earlier the qualifier, and hadn’t recovered a dependable contention bushed since his 8.46m leap astatine the European Team Championships successful Madrid past June—a people that inactive keeps him astatine the apical of the satellite rankings.

“It was precise important that I did what I needed to. My limb isn’t successful large shape, and I didn’t privation to propulsion it. If I had taken 3 jumps today, possibly I’d person had problems for the final. Now I’m fine, I’m successful bully condition, and I managed 8.17 without pushing myself. That leap was thing for me…” Tentoglou told ERT aft his qualification.

He added: “At 1 constituent I adjacent stopped, due to the fact that I didn’t privation to strain my leg. I’m fine—and this present is my stadium! This is wherever the existent agelong leap happens. It’s besides bully that it’s warm, due to the fact that we bash our warm-up successful different venue, past instrumentality the autobus here, and astatine slightest we don’t get cold.”