Deji Ogeingbo wrote this piece to Matria Fouri, an Italian’s long jump star, who will be the world’s lead in 2025 and who is only 21 years old.
Mattia Furlani walks as next long jump star
When you see one in a sport it’s easy to find out talent. Log Fouran is a sportsman who falls into such categories. Long Jumper has won every possible title in different age categories and flights to the senior category about two years ago. He is now on the edge of the best to uninstall the event and become an unrelated number of men in the long jump.
In the last moments of a long jump competition in Torun, Fourtan was on top of the runway. He ruled most of the night, but he knew that one final jump could make something bigger. He poured on the track, hit the board perfectly and grew. When he landed, the billboard broke out, 8.37 meters. New Italian closed post. A meeting record. And, most importantly, command wins the world and Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou.
It was the type of moment that compensates balance in sports. The undisputed king of the long jump for years has been for years. He found himself in each General Championship and found a way to win. Greek Supererstar has always shipped, be at the Olympic Games, world championships or the biggest meeting of the regions. But this time Fourlan did not only not bother him. He left no doubt. 34 centimeters of graduated wasn’t just victory. It was a statement.
Furlani has been building in this direction for years. He dominated the junior level of teenagers, winning every major title. He jumped to the senior stage of 2023. By 2024, he was already proving to belong to it. Last year, he won silver in the world’s world championships and followed it at the Bronze Olympics. The endings of those chairs showed his potential. But in Torun, he showed more. He revealed that he was ready to take over.
Its approach to competition is now different. There is a feeling of control how he jumps, growing confidence knowing he belongs to the top. He raised the competition in the third round with a jump of 8.21 meters, while others struggled whether others struggled to find their rhythm. Then, in the final stage, when the pressure was the highest, he provided the most important jump in his career. Such composition is rare for so young.
Such great performances do not happen by accident. Furhan worked at the scenes, refining his technique and his approach to good adjustment. Long Jump is almost not about speed and power. It’s about accuracy. A second, which is very soon in a second or too late, there may be the difference between personal best and wrong. Furlani’s ability to achieve correctly when it is important that it was the most simple sign that she was ready to challenge the best.
Furlani rise is also a fresh air for a long jump of men. For years, the event was lacking real competitions. Juan Miguel Eurowevar was a athlete who brought a little fire to the event, but since his pause, the Tashtsos were dominant, winning without a clear challenge. Fans were waiting for someone to stand up, some unpredictability to injected men’s long jumps. In Torun, Fourani gave them them. He just didn’t push tentoglou; He beat him convincingly. And here, crossing the world’s inner championships, the dynamics of the event has moved.
Of course, one victory does not define a career. Tentoglou is not going anywhere, and a long jump is an event where consistency is everything. A meeting does not make Fourlan’s new king of the event. But as he competed in Torun, he suggests that this was not a one-time performance. With each competition, he better, more confident and more dangerous.
There is also the fact that this is just the beginning. At the age of 20, Fouran is still developing. His technique can be improved. His physical strength will increase. He has not yet reached his peak, which should be a cowardly thought for his competitors. If he was already thrown at 8.37 meters now, for what he will be able to be able to. Two years.
They are fast approaching with the World Closed Championship, all the eyes will be on it. He can finally get his first big victory on the big stage. He can take that next step from silver and bronze to gold. If Torun had any indication, the answer could be yes.
