Furlani Secures Runner-up Position in Long Jump at World Indoor Athletics Championships

In a thrilling turn of events, Mattia Furlani has been crowned as the new indoor world vice champion in long jump. The event took place in Glasgow, Great Britain where Furlani, representing Italy, bagged the silver medal. His achievement was marked by a remarkable jump of 8.22 meters, a feat he achieved in his very first attempt. Interestingly, this measurement was the same as that of the gold medalist, Mitiadis Tentoglou from Greece. Tentoglou, a former Olympic and world champion, managed to secure the gold due to his second-best measurement (8.19 against 8.10). The bronze medal was won by Jamaican Carey McLeod with a jump of 8.21 meters. An ecstatic Furlani commented that the achievement felt like a dream come true, attributing it to the hard work he had put in over the recent weeks.

19-year-old Furlani hails from Fiamme Oro and originally from Marino. With this silver medal at the World Championships in Glasgow, he has made history as the youngest medalist ever in the specialty at the indoor world championship event. Athletics runs in his blood as Furlani is the son of the former high jumper Marcello and sprinter of Senegalese origins, Khaty Seck.

Though Mattia started practicing athletics at the age of 13, he was also invested in basketball. Over the years, he switched from speed and high jump (even holding the Italian cadet record with 2.10) to long jump. He currently holds the Italian indoor record with 8.34 meters, a measurement he achieved on 17th February in Ancona. This feat also equals the best global performance for under 20s.

On the international front, Mattia has amassed impressive victories. He won gold in both high jump and long jump at the 2022 European Championships in Jerusalem. He also bagged the European under 20 long jump gold last year in Jerusalem and secured second place at the European Team Championships last year in Chorzow, marking a historic victory for Italy’s athletics team.

The young champion could not contain his emotions following this victory. He expressed his gratitude to his mother and acknowledged the valuable experience he had gained from participating in such important races. He added that this achievement was the result of the hard work and dedication he had put in.

The medal, he said, was dedicated to “everyone who supported me and worked on my path, to myself for everything I put in to get to where I am now.” But he emphasized that this was just the beginning of a long journey and that he intends to keep his feet on the ground as there is still much work to be done.