Portugal’s improving Gerson Baldé delivered a stunning late flourish to shock his illustrious European rivals to take men’s long jump gold at the Kujawy Pomorze 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships on Sunday (22).
The 26-year-old produced the jump of his life in the final round, soaring to a world-leading personal best of 8.46m to snatch gold in dramatic fashion.
His leap capped a gripping, all-European battle for the podium and secured Portugal a rare long jump double, following the morning victory in the women’s event by Agate De Sousa.
Italy’s Mattia Furlani, the reigning world indoor and outdoor champion, took silver with 8.39m—matching his personal best—while Bulgaria’s European indoor champion Bozhidar Sarâboyukov completed the podium with 8.31m.
Baldé’s victory marked a breakthrough moment on the global stage. Previously fourth at the Apeldoorn 2025 European Indoor Championships and eighth at last year’s World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, he had not been considered among the pre-event favourites.
“It was my dream to win this gold medal,” Baldé said. “I’m still surprised, as I was never seen as one of the favourites. This shows that anyone who dreams big can achieve it.”
European rivalry delivers high drama
The final unfolded as a showcase of Europe’s depth in the horizontal jumps. Sarâboyukov set the early standard, opening with 8.22m before extending to 8.31m in the second round, holding the lead through much of the contest.
Furlani, despite battling illness, surged into contention in the fifth round with a superb 8.39m—an equal personal best that briefly put him in gold-medal position.
But Baldé, sitting fifth heading into the final round, held his nerve. After a series that included 8.17m and 8.19m alongside fouls, the Portuguese athlete delivered under pressure with a decisive final leap that neither rival could match.
Both Furlani and Sarâboyukov fouled their final attempts, sealing Baldé’s victory.
Furlani fights through illness
For Furlani, the silver medal carried added significance given his physical condition. “To take silver with a result that equals my personal best is a great job,” he said. “It means even more because I’m coming back from illness.”
The young Italian continues to underline his status as one of Europe’s brightest field-event prospects, while Sarâboyukov adds another global medal to his growing résumé.
All three medallists have backgrounds in both long jump and high jump—highlighting a versatile generation of European talent. Sarâboyukov, notably, adds this bronze to his world U20 high jump silver from 2022, in a final that also featured Furlani.
Elsewhere, Greece’s Olympic champion Miltiádis Tentóglou finished sixth with 8.19m, unable to mount his usual late charge.
As the indoor season closes, Baldé’s breakthrough signals another shift in the European pecking order—and sets up a compelling narrative heading into the outdoor campaign.