Miltiadis “Miltos” Tentoglou won the men’s long jump in the most dramatic fashion on Monday as he leapt 8.41 meters in his final attempt to snatch the gold medal from Cuba’s Juan Miguel Echevarria.
Tentoglou was the world leader coming into Tokyo with an 8.60m leap at a domestic competition in May, but struggled to find his form and was outside the medals positions as he hit the runway for the final time, notes reuters.
He hit the board perfectly to match the leading mark, with his second-best jump of 8.15m assuring him the gold by edging out the Cuban’s 8.09m.
What a finish!#GRE's Miltiadis Tentoglou clinches men's long jump gold on the last attempt – 8.41m!@WorldAthletics #Athletics @HellenicOlympic pic.twitter.com/KGEXkXOAHr
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 2, 2021
“What an incredible competition. What an incredible jump, the last jump,” the 23-year-old athlete said after winning his country’s first ever long jump gold.
“I wasn’t able to get it right at the start. But in the end I managed to pull something out to get the medal. I always have something left, something in reserve.”
He praised his main competitor Echevarria saying that he is better than him adding there was something [wrong] with him today.
O 🥇χρυσός Ολυμπιονίκης Μίλτος Τεντόγλου για τη νίκη του στο μήκος στο Τόκιο με 8.41#TeamHellas #Tokyo2020 #Tentoglou #gold #longjump #athletics pic.twitter.com/MqgxKMyMTf
— Ηellenic Olympic Committee (@HellenicOlympic) August 2, 2021
The second gold medal for Greece was cheered as expected.
It's the first time #GRE wins the men's long jump
🥇 8.41 #GRE Tentoglou
🥈 8.41 #CUB Echevarría
🥉 8.21 #CUB Masso#Athletics
#Tokyo2020 #Olympics #Athletics pic.twitter.com/7anVNAgdhy— velocity (@velocity2121) August 2, 2021
I believe I can fly! #Τεντόγλου 🥇 https://t.co/FkMKC5icDA
— Stathis Selimis (@StathisSel) August 2, 2021
🇬🇷🥇 #Τεντόγλου pic.twitter.com/CPINHO21GN
— Chris Tsokanis 💉 (@christsok) August 2, 2021
Hearty congratulations to Miltiadis Tentoglou for winning the gold medal in the long jump in Tokyo.
With 8.41 meters in his last jump he gave the first ever Olympic gold medal in the men's long jump to Greece.#Τεντόγλου #Tentoglou #LongJump #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/fiuwLQDFcv— Hellenic Society for Asian Studies (@AsianStudiesGr) August 2, 2021
Tentoglou was ‘discovered’ in his hometown of Grevena, northern Greece, as teenager with excellent performance in the discipline of parkour.
