Mattia Furlani won World Cup gold. © ANSA / Adam Warzawa

World Cup gold: A 20-year-old redeems Italy

After two silver and two bronze medals each, Italy won its first gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

September 17, 2025

From: dl

Mattia Furlani, just 20 years old, sensationally won the gold medal in the long jump at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo – with a personal best of 8,39 meters. The Italian beat the favorites, Jamaican Tajay Gayle (8,34 m) and Chinese Shi (8,33 m).

The competition was exciting: After a missed attempt and a solid jump of 8,13 meters, Furlani improved to a new personal best of 8,22 in his fifth attempt. The decisive jump secured his victory—no one else could match it.

Mattia Furlani took gold in the long jump. © APA/afp / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Furlani has an impressive record: silver at the Indoor World Championships in Glasgow, silver at the European Championships in Rome (with a U20 world record), bronze at the Olympic Games in Paris, and now the crowning achievement – ​​outdoor world champion. Incidentally, Furlani grew up about 20 km from Rome.