Malaika Mihambo showcased her exceptional talent once again, winning gold in the women’s long jump at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships. The Olympic and twice world champion reclaimed the European title she last won in Berlin 2018 with a world-leading second-round leap of 7.22m (-1.4m/s), marking the third longest jump of her career.
In the qualifiers, Mihambo already signaled her dominance with a 7.03m jump. At the Stadio Olimpico, she faced a competitive field, with several athletes achieving personal bests. Mikaelle Assani of Germany (6.91m, -0.6m/s), Hilary Kpatcha of France (6.88m, -0.7m/s), Annik Kälin of Switzerland (6.82m, -0.7m/s), and Plamena Mitkova of Bulgaria (6.80m, +0.2m/s) all delivered outstanding performances.
Portugal’s Agate De Sousa initially secured the silver with a jump of 6.91m (-0.6m/s) and a next best of 6.87m, ahead of Assani. However, Italy’s Larissa Iapichino, daughter of twice world champion long jumper Fiona May, leaped to 6.94m (+0.1m/s) in the final round to clinch silver, pushing De Sousa to bronze and Assani to fourth place.
Mihambo’s victory underscores her status as one of the top long jumpers, consistently performing at an elite level.
