Thobias Montler who has a host of silver medals across the European Athletics Championships, European Athletics Indoor Championships, and world indoor championships, will be opening his outdoor season at Filathlitkos Kallitheas International Jumping Meeting on 27 May.
Meanwhile Hilary Kpatcha, who cleared seven metres for the first time last year, and Tilde Johansson, who previously took a European U20 gold and silver at the same championships in 100m hurdles and long jump respectively, will be competing at the JBL Jump Fest in Slovakia.
The Filathlitkos Kallitheas International Jumping Meeting will be available to watch on the European Athletics’ website from 3.00pm CEST (geoblocked in Greece) while the JBL Jump Fest will be streamed live on the European Athletics YouTube channel from 8.10pm CEST.
Strong fields assembled for Kosice street meeting
Kpatcha and Johansson headline the meet in Slovakia as the pair meet for the first time this year and have a head-to-head record of 3-2 to the seven-metre jumping Frenchwoman.
In February Kpatcha opened her year with a 6.73m jump, but only measure 6.56m in her outdoor season opener on 17 May.
Meanwhile, Johansson is yet to compete outdoors after jumping a best of 6.55m during the indoor season back in January and then 6.50m again in February.
In the men’s triple jump Endiorass Kingley, the 23-year-old Austrian, will be the sole European representative as he takes on a difficult field including former world indoor champion Lazaro Martinez, 2022 world U20 champion Jaydon Hibbert, world bronze medallist Cristian Napoles, and 2026 world indoor silver medallist and world leader Jordan Scott.
However, after making the world final last year, Kingley will be more than up to the challenge as the Austrian looks to jump back over 16m for the first time since his season opener in January.
Montler and Rotaru-Kottmann in action in Athens
Montler is by far the starring name competing in Athens on Wednesday, as the global medallist opens his outdoor season after jumping 8.04m during the indoor season.
The 30-year-old Swede will be looking to build back up towards the mid eight metre jumps with the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships, which he has already qualified for, in sight.
He’ll be joined by France’s Jules Pommery, a European bronze medallist, as he looks to get back over eight metres for the first time since August 2025 after jumping 7.78m this year already.
The former European U23 champion from Ukraine, Vladyslav Mazur, will also be looking to break the eight metre mark, which he hasn’t surpassed since 2021 having missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons, after jumping 7.90m on 22 May.
Italy’s Ernesto Pascone leads the men’s high jump with his jump of 2.20m in March and an outdoor season’s best of 2.18m and Ariadni Adamopolou leads the women’s pole vault having set a new PB in February of 4.52m.
The women’s long jump sees 2023 world bronze medallist Alina Rotaru-Kottmann take to the runway to open her outdoor season after jumping 6.70m in March.
She’ll be challenged by France's Yanis David, who is a former world U20 and European U23 champion, as she is set to compete in long jump for the first time this year.