Calm and confident, Miltiadis Tentoglou wanted to get qualification out of the way quickly—and he did just that.

With the standard set at 8.15m, the Greek champion, in the very stadium where he won his first Olympic gold medal, “flew” to 8.17m and booked his spot in Wednesday’s (Sept. 17, 14:49) World Championships final.

Tentoglou was the first athlete, chronologically, to secure a place in the final. His take-off was 12.6 cm away from perfect, and he reached a speed of 37.5 km/h. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has faced several minor injuries this year, even one just a day before the qualifier, and hadn’t found a steady competition rhythm since his 8.46m jump at the European Team Championships in Madrid last June—a mark that still keeps him at the top of the world rankings.

“It was very important that I did what I needed to. My leg isn’t in great shape, and I didn’t want to push it. If I had taken three jumps today, maybe I’d have had problems for the final. Now I’m fine, I’m in good condition, and I managed 8.17 without pushing myself. That jump was nothing for me…” Tentoglou told ERT after his qualification.

He added: “At one point I even stopped, because I didn’t want to strain my leg. I’m fine—and this here is my stadium! This is where the real long jump happens. It’s also good that it’s warm, because we do our warm-up in another venue, then take the bus here, and at least we don’t get cold.”