Tara Davis-Woodhall Leads the Way as World’s Best Jumpers Vie for Indoor Glory in Glasgow
Almost nine years have passed since Tara Davis, as she was known then, stood atop the podium as the women’s long jump champion at the World U18 Championships in Cali. Now a married woman, Davis-Woodhall is poised to challenge for senior global gold at the upcoming World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Women’s Long Jump: Davis-Woodhall the Woman to Beat
In last August’s outdoor World Championships in Budapest, Davis-Woodhall held the lead after the first round with an impressive 6.91m leap. However, Serbia’s Ivana Vuleta overtook her on the very next jump, relegating the American to the silver medal.
Fast forward seven months, and the 24-year-old Davis-Woodhall enters the Glasgow event as the woman to beat. Her season-leading 7.18m, which earned her the US indoor title in Albuquerque on February 16, has set a new personal best and placed her atop the 2024 world list. No other woman has crossed the 7-meter mark this year.
“With Vuleta opting not to defend her Belgrade 2022 crown, and Jasmine Moore, the runner-up to Davis-Woodhall in Albuquerque, focusing on the triple jump, the path appears clear for the American to clinch her first senior global gold.”
Nigeria’s Ese Brume, the 2014 Commonwealth Games long jump champion in Glasgow, will be eager to add to her impressive resume, which includes Olympic bronze, world outdoor and indoor silver, and world outdoor bronze. With a lifetime best of 7.17m, she is the only other entrant aside from Davis-Woodhall to have exceeded 7 meters.
Men’s Long Jump: Tentoglou Faces Tough Challenge from Furlani
The men’s event promises to be equally captivating, with reigning Olympic, world indoor, and European outdoor champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece seeking to defend his indoor title. The 26-year-old has been dominant, winning all three of his 2024 indoor competitions, including a season-best 8.26m leap at the Greek Indoor Championships.
However, the Greek star will face a stern challenge from Italian teenage sensation Mattia Furlani, known as “Spiderman” for his resemblance to the Marvel character. The 19-year-old Furlani, the European U18 champion in both long jump and high jump, has already made history, leaping 8.34m at the Italian Indoor Championships – the best ever mark by an U20 athlete and tied for second on the all-time age group list.
With other contenders such as Jamaicans Tajay Gayle and Carey McLeod, as well as Colombia’s Arnovis Dalmero, the men’s long jump promises to be a thrilling battle for supremacy in Glasgow.
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