Mattia Furlani sets record, beats Andrew Howe

Mattia Furlani’s record

He flies again, and this time the wind is steady, in fact even contrary.

New long jump star Mattia Furlani triumphs in Hengelo (Netherlands) and signs the Italian under-20 record, surpassing after 19 years the 8.11 with which Andrew Howe won the gold medal at the 2004 World U20 Championships in Grosseto. Furlani (Fiamme Oro) hits the measure on the first jump, despite a -0.7 headwind, and in fact confirms the wonderful impressions of Savona (8.44 windy, +2.2), with a fast run-up and a perfect take-off, practically without leaving even an inch on the batting board.

At the Fbk Games, a Gold leg of the Continental Tour, the 18-year-old Italian also repeated at a very high level in the second jump with 8.14, again upwind (-0.6). With today’s 8.24 he comes close to the standard to qualify directly for the World Championships in Budapest scheduled for August (set at 8.25) and becomes the fourth Italian in history after Howe (8.47), Giovanni Evangelisti (8.43) and Simone Bianchi (8.25). Lists in hand, the jumper who trains in Rieti with mom Khaty Seck and dad Marcello also becomes the fourth European U20 of all time after Russian Sergey Morgunov’s 8.35, Greek Miltiadis Tentoglou’s 8.30 and Spaniard Eusebio Caceres’ 8.27, on par with Russian Vladimir Ochkan’s 8.24. Furlani can finally celebrate for having improved his personal best, twenty centimeters higher than the 8.04 with which he won gold at the U18 European Championships in Jerusalem last summer, and can enjoy his success in one of the most prestigious meetings of the second international circuit, moreover a guarantee of a substantial haul of points in view of the world ranking: beating two valuable rivals such as South Africa’s Cheswill Johnson (8.08/+1.1) and U.S. Mr. Jump JuVaughn Harrison (8.07/-0.9) fresh winner at the Golden Gala in Florence in the high jump with 2.32. In his series there is also the null in the third, two jumps of 7.91 (+0.4) and 7.70 (-0.4) and the run-up only sketched on the last entry on the platform, but above all there is the knowledge that he can compete in the athletics that counts.