1. Overview
Miltiadis "Miltos" Tentoglou (Μιλτιάδης "Μίλτος" Τεντόγλουmiltiˈaðis te(n)ˈdoɣluGreek, Modern) is a highly accomplished Greek long jumper, widely recognized for his dominant performance in the sport. He was ranked 1st in the world in 2023. He is a double Olympic champion, having secured gold medals at both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, making him only the second long jumper in history, after Carl Lewis, to successfully defend an Olympic title. Tentoglou has also achieved significant success at the World and European levels, holding one World Championships gold medal (2023) and one silver (2022), two World Indoor Championships gold medals (2022, 2024), three consecutive European outdoor titles (2018, 2022, 2024), and an unprecedented three consecutive European indoor titles (2019, 2021, 2023). He is the current Greek indoor record holder in the long jump and was named Greek Male Athlete of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. His career is marked by a consistent string of gold medals, totaling eleven major international titles.
2. Early Life
Miltiadis Tentoglou's formative years were shaped by his family background and an unexpected entry into the world of athletics.
2.1. Birth and Upbringing
Miltiadis Tentoglou was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, on March 18, 1998. He spent his childhood and teenage years growing up in the town of Grevena. His paternal great-grandfather was a Greek refugee who had migrated from Anatolia. Although he later moved to Athens, Grevena remained his hometown.
2.2. Transition to Athletics
Before his foray into track and field, Tentoglou's primary hobby was parkour, which he actively pursued until the age of 15. His athletic career began serendipitously when Greek athletics coach Vangelis Papanikos observed him practicing parkour on the bleachers of the Grevena stadium. Recognizing Tentoglou's exceptional natural talent and physical agility, Papanikos encouraged him to try athletics. Tentoglou initially had no interest in track and field and had aspirations of becoming a chef, following his father's profession. However, he changed his mind after starting high jump, his initial focus in athletics, before transitioning to long jump.
3. Coaching and Development
Miltiadis Tentoglou's athletic development and remarkable success are largely attributed to the guidance of two key coaches who played pivotal roles throughout his career. He is affiliated with the G.S. Kifissias club.
3.1. Key Coaches
Tentoglou's first coach was Vangelis Papanikos, who discovered him while he was doing parkour. Papanikos was instrumental in introducing Tentoglou to athletics and nurturing his initial talent. In 2017, Tentoglou began working with Georgi Pomashki, a renowned Greek-Bulgarian coach, who has since remained his primary coach. Pomashki is credited with further refining Tentoglou's technique and competitive mindset, leading to his consistent string of international victories.
4. Career
Miltiadis Tentoglou's career has seen a steady progression from a promising junior athlete to a dominant force in senior long jump competitions, accumulating numerous titles across various international stages.
4.1. Junior and U23 Career
Tentoglou gained his first international experience at the age of 17, competing at the 2015 World Under-18 Championships in Cali, Colombia, where he finished fifth with a jump of 25 ft (7.66 m). In May 2016, he set a new Greek national U20 record with a jump of 27 ft (8.19 m) in Kalamata. Two months later, he earned a silver medal at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, with a leap of 26 ft (7.91 m), placing behind Cuba's Maykel Massó. The following month, Tentoglou was one of the youngest members of the Greek delegation at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he finished 27th in the qualification round with a jump of 25 ft (7.64 m).
In June 2017, at the Greek Athletics Championships in Patras, he further improved his national U20 record by achieving 27 ft (8.3 m). In July of the same year, he secured a gold medal at the European U20 Championships in Grosseto, Italy, with a jump of 26 ft (8.07 m). He also competed at the 2017 European Team Championships Super League in Lille, France, finishing 5th with 25 ft (7.76 m), and at the 2017 World Championships in London, United Kingdom, where he finished 19th in the qualification round with 26 ft (7.79 m). He continued his success by winning gold at the European U23 Championships in Gävle, Sweden, with a mark of 27 ft (8.32 m).
4.2. Senior International Competitions
Since 2018, Tentoglou has become a consistent medalist at the highest levels of senior international athletics.
4.2.1. Olympic Games
Tentoglou achieved his first Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he won on countback with a jump of 28 ft (8.41 m), narrowly defeating Cuba's Juan Miguel Echevarría. This marked Greece's first gold medal in athletics at the Olympics. He successfully defended his title at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a leap of 28 ft (8.48 m), becoming only the second long jumper after Carl Lewis to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the event.
4.2.2. World Athletics Championships
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Tentoglou earned a silver medal with a jump of 27 ft (8.32 m), finishing behind China's Wang Jianan. The following year, he claimed his first outdoor World Championship gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with a best jump of 28 ft (8.52 m). He also finished 10th at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a jump of 26 ft (7.79 m).
4.2.3. World Athletics Indoor Championships
Tentoglou has an impressive record at the World Indoor Championships. He won his first gold medal at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where he set a new Greek indoor record of 28 ft (8.55 m), which was also a world lead and placed him sixth on the world all-time indoor list. He secured his second world indoor title at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in a remarkably close contest, winning on countback with a jump of 27 ft (8.22 m). He previously finished 9th at the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom, with a jump of 26 ft (7.82 m).
4.2.4. European Athletics Championships
Tentoglou has dominated the European outdoor championships, winning three consecutive gold medals. He became the youngest Greek man to win a continental gold at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, with a jump of 27 ft (8.25 m). He followed this with another gold at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, where he set a championship record of 28 ft (8.52 m).
In June 2024, at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, he extended his championship record and set a new personal best of 28 ft (8.65 m), securing his third consecutive European outdoor title.
4.2.5. European Athletics Indoor Championships
He has also achieved unprecedented success at the European Indoor Championships, winning three successive titles. He claimed gold at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom, setting a Greek indoor record of 27 ft (8.38 m), which was also a world lead. He then won gold at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, with a jump of 27 ft (8.35 m), also a world lead. At the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, he made history by becoming the first man to win three consecutive long jump titles at the European Indoors, with a jump of 27 ft (8.3 m).
4.2.6. Diamond League
Tentoglou is also a prominent figure in the Diamond League circuit. He was crowned the overall Diamond League long jump champion in 2022. During the 2022 season, he secured victories at five Diamond League meetings: the Rabat Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme, Oslo Bislett Games, Stockholm BAUHAUS-galan, Chorzów Kamila Skolimowska Memorial (where he set a meeting record), and Zürich Weltklasse. In 2021, he also won the long jump event at the Monaco Herculis meeting.
4.2.7. Other International Competitions
Tentoglou has also competed and medaled in other significant international events. He won gold at the 2018 Balkan Athletics Championships in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, with a jump of 27 ft (8.17 m), and finished 2nd with a silver at the 2019 Balkan Athletics Championships in Pravets, Bulgaria, with 26 ft (7.88 m). He earned a silver medal representing Europe at the 2018 Continental Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic, finishing 2nd with a jump of 26 ft (8 m). He has also secured gold medals at the 2019 European Athletics Team Championships Super League in Bydgoszcz, Poland (27 ft (8.3 m)), the 2021 European Athletics Team Championships First League in Cluj-Napoca, Romania (27 ft (8.38 m), a championship record), and the 2023 European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division in Chorzow, Poland (27 ft (8.34 m)). In 2023, he also won a gold medal at the 2023 European Games held in Kraków-Małopolska.
5. Personal Bests and Records
Miltiadis Tentoglou holds several significant personal bests and records in the long jump, placing him among the elite athletes in the history of the sport.
5.1. Outdoor Records
His outdoor personal best in the long jump is 28 ft (8.65 m), achieved in Rome in 2024. This mark ranks him as the third-best European performer of all time in the event.
5.2. Indoor Records
Tentoglou's indoor personal best is 28 ft (8.55 m), set in Belgrade in 2022. This performance was a world lead, is the current Greek indoor record and places him as the sixth-best performer on the world all-time indoor list for the long jump.
5.3. National Records
Miltiadis Tentoglou holds the Greek national indoor record in the long jump with his mark of 28 ft (8.55 m).
6. National Achievements
Miltiadis Tentoglou has consistently demonstrated his dominance on the national stage within Greece, securing multiple titles in domestic competitions.
6.1. Greek Championships
He has won the Greek Athletics Championships (outdoor) in the long jump six times: in 2017 (with a new national U20 record of 27 ft (8.3 m)), 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024. Furthermore, he has claimed six titles at the Greek Indoor Athletics Championships in the long jump, winning consecutively from 2019 to 2024.
7. Personal Life and Interests
Beyond his athletic pursuits, Miltiadis Tentoglou has publicly shared some of his personal interests.
7.1. Interests
Tentoglou is known for his appreciation of Japanese culture. He has stated that he can understand some of the Japanese language.
8. Stance on Rule Changes
Miltiadis Tentoglou has been vocal about his opinions on proposed changes to athletic regulations, particularly those affecting the long jump.
8.1. Retirement Threat
In September 2024, Tentoglou publicly expressed his strong opposition to the World Athletics Federation's consideration of replacing the traditional wooden jumping board with a "take-off zone" in the long jump. He stated that if this specific rule change were to be implemented, he would retire from the sport.
9. Awards and Recognition
Miltiadis Tentoglou's exceptional achievements have earned him significant accolades and recognition within Greece.
9.1. Athlete of the Year
He was honored as the Greek Male Athlete of the Year for two consecutive years, in both 2022 and 2023, acknowledging his outstanding contributions and prominence in Greek sports.
10. Legacy and Impact
Miltiadis Tentoglou's remarkable career has left a significant mark on the sport of athletics, particularly in his home country, Greece.
10.1. Contribution to Greek Athletics
As a double Olympic champion and multiple World and European medalist, Tentoglou is considered a national hero in Greece. His consistent victories and record-breaking performances have elevated the profile of athletics in the country and served as a powerful inspiration for aspiring young athletes. His achievements have cemented his place as one of Greece's most celebrated sports figures.