Mattia Furlani won the long jump gold at the Meeting de Paris Indoor with a season’s best of 8.33m

Mattia Furlani sets a brilliant world lead with 8.33m in the men’s long jump at the Meeting de Paris Indoor. The Italian athlete, who won the world title at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, started the season strongly to dominate the event and sent a serious order for winning the title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, which will be held from March 20–22, 2026, at the Arena Torun in Poland.

At the Meeting de Paris Indoor, Mattia Furlani jumped 8.33m to win the gold ahead of Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov, who triumphed over Furlani to secure the European indoor title in Apeldoorn last year, achieving a personal best of 8.15m. He commenced his season with a lifetime best of 8.27m in Plovdiv last week.

Sweden’s Thobias Montler recorded a jump of 7.97m for the second time this season, finishing in third place, while two-time world U20 champion and current European U23 champion Erwan Konate took fourth with a jump of 7.84m.

In the women’s long jump, Spain’s two-time world indoor medallist Fatima Diame secured victory with her second round jump of 6.57m, despite facing challenges in achieving a mark during the final three rounds.

On the track, Laeticia Bapte triumphed in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.92, delighting the home crowd. This performance also marks her best season opener in the event. She finished ahead of Ireland’s Sarah Lavin, who clocked in at 7.98, a time that qualifies her for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze as she aims for her first global medal.