Miltiadis Tentoglou reveals secret behind his "miracle" jumps
The Olympic and world champion in long jump is known for striking gold on his final attempts. Olympics.com spoke to the Greek superstar about how he keeps his head cool on the runway and his heart burning with new ambition following his 2023 world title win
Athletics
Saving the best for last requires a dash of brazenness.
Fortunately for long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou, who is known for his last-minute winning attempts, brazenness is something he has in ample supply.
The Greek athletics star first set hearts racing when he won Olympic gold on his last attempt at Tokyo 2020 in 2021. He repeated the last-gasp manoeuvre at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest on 24 August, embellishing a vast medal collection with his first world title.
Some may call his last-minute winning jumps luck. Tentoglou calls them his miracle.
“I always believe that the last jump is special for every jumper because it’s all the emotions and the adrenaline and it's your last chance to do something. I like to call it the miracle jump and I believe that every athlete can do a big one or their best one in the last attempt," Tentoglou said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.
"I'm also able to do it and I think I'm more able to do it consistently."
Miltiadis Tentoglou: Bold in Budapest
Tentoglou was in second position going into the sixth and final jump at the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships. He had set an 8.50m mark on the first attempt, but failed to improve on that, jumping 8.39 and 8.30 on his next counted efforts. His top rival Wayne Pinnock of Jamaica also jumped 8.50m. Tentoglou would need to go further.
Olympic champion, world indoor champion, reigning European indoor and outdoor champion - for Tentoglou, the world title outdoors was the only thing missing from his collection.
As time ran out, the Greek athlete clapped his hands to solicit cheers from the spectators in the Hungarian capital, let out a terse yell and sprinted down the runway. Seconds later athletics fans could see the sand spraying out as Tentoglou landed 8.52m into the pit.
When Pinnock failed to surpass that result, Tentoglou knew his final jump had once again worked its miracle.
“I'm trying to say to myself, 'This is my last chance and you have to go all in. You have to put everything you got'," Tentoglou said of his thought process in such win-or-lose moments. "I like to say to myself before I start that it's not gonna be a foul because many people fear the foul and they will not give it everything they got or they will step behind the board, which will lose them centimetres. It's very important, so this is what I'm saying, and I'm just trying to attack."
Tentoglou is the kind of athlete who does not let the high-pressure moments rattle him. As in Budapest, he won Olympic gold on his last attempt with a jump of 8.41m. That winning jump in Tokyo came after three weaker attempts that had Tentoglou barely hovering in podium contention.
The ability to deliver "miracles" when it matters most have led his coaches to describe Tentoglou as a "cold executioner". The athlete himself puts his last-minute triumphs down to pure confidence.
"I'm more able to do it consistently because my run up is very consistent," he said. "I know exactly where I'm going to place my foot. I know that I'm not going to do a foul, so that's why it's better for me. Maybe new people do fouls when they go to the last attempt. So I think that's the special thing about me.”
What is the secret behind the calmness? It is not yoga or meditation, Tentoglou confides, but something even simpler.
“I like to relax in my bed and think about the jump," the world champion said. "Think about my movements and my feelings, and it always works out in the end.”
There is no shortage of drama when Miltiadis Tentoglou makes one of his last-minute "miracle" jumps.
The runway to stardom
At the age of 25, Tentoglou has it all: Olympic, world, and European titles.
It is hard to imagine a top-level long jump competition now without Tentoglou in the line-up, but if not for a chance meeting, the world might never have never seen any of his dramatic performances.
Before taking up an athletics career, the Olympic champion intended to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a cook. He came into athletics by chance when a coach spotted him doing parkour at a stadium in Grevena and remarked on his agility and athleticism.
High jump was his first assignment, but Tentoglou soon realised that long jump was his true calling.
Even after winning everything there is to win in the discipline, the Greek star remains as motivated as ever.
“I love the sport. I enjoy long jump and jumping," he said. "I like to do big results, so I'm always pushing for that and I think I can improve much more than this.”
Tentoglou set his personal best mark of 8.60m at an outdoor meet in May 2021. While he admits Mike Powell's 32-year-old world record of 8.95m is still far out of reach, there are many other athletes who push him to be better every day.
"I want to be in the top 10 all-time, which is 8.69, and I'm pushing slowly, slowly. If I do 8.70, which I believe I can, then we will see about later," the long jumper from Greece said.
Aside from his rivals, failure is another driving force behind Tentoglou’s success. Finishing second at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, four centimetres behind China's Wang Jianan, served as a wake-up call for the ambitious Greek.
“I think losing gives motivation. It happened to me also last year. I lost and it gave me motivation to be better, to not do a competition like this again," Tentoglou told us. "Of course I lose, every year I lose. It's impossible to win every single thing... and no one is undefeated. It gives you motivation and that's important.”
Miltiadis Tentoglou is a well-recognised and loved figure when he goes home to Greece.
Rockstar in Greece: The Ballad of Miltiadis Tentoglou
Tentoglou is someone who loves a good audience. And the audience certainly loves him back.
The stadium in Budapest transformed into a sea of white and blue as spectators waved flags and banners in support of their favourite. When in Greece, he is often stopped on the streets by people asking him for photos and autographs.
“It's hard sometimes," Tentoglou said of the high profile he got after winning gold at Tokyo 2020.
“I like my privacy, that's true. So when they stop me, when I'm out eating or doing something, I'm kind, but most times I say, 'OK, I don't want to do this right now' or something. But when I'm in the stadiums I always go to every person to take pictures and to give autographs. In the stadium it’s different, but when I'm in my personal life, yes, it's a little bit annoying sometimes, but I know they are doing it because they love me.”
Tentoglou also has a clear explanation for what has earned him such adoration. And it's not only his medals or dramatic jumps.
“I have a weird personality. I consider myself to be a free person. I like freedom so I like to do whatever I want," Tentoglou said. "People in Greece like it, they like my honesty because I'm always honest. I'm always saying to the reporters everything that comes to my mind. I'm not trying to fake anything, so they really enjoy this, as well as the fact that I'm winning. It’s a combination. They love me in Greece and I thank them for supporting me.”