It’s been an outstanding year for both Emmanouil Karalis and Miltos Tentoglou, who have achieved great things, highlighted by their medals at the Paris Olympics a few weeks ago.
The 24-year-old pole vaulter added another “diamond” to his crown of successes at the Diamond League in Poland on Sunday, breaking the Greek outdoor record by clearing 6 meters. This also placed him in the exclusive club of athletes who have surpassed the 6-meter barrier—a remarkable moment in the career of “Manolo,” who has been soaring in recent years. Meanwhile, in Lausanne, Tentoglou clinched a gold medal with yet another stunning buzzer-beater jump to defeat Jamaican athlete Pinnock.
Returning to Greece with the honor of clearing 6 meters, Karalis continued his hard work for the rest of the season. His close friend, Miltos Tentoglou, awaited him at the indoor gym, where their strong bond has helped them excel in every competition they’ve participated in.
In a video posted by Manolo, the two athletes and friends are seen playfully engaging in Greco-Roman wrestling on a mat. Both were laughing, but nearby was their coach, Giorgos Pomaski, who repeatedly asked them to stop so they wouldn’t injure themselves, acting like a protective father.
Emmanouil Karalis became the first Greek to break the 6-meter barrier.
On June 29, during the Greek Championships in Volos, he broke the national record with a jump of 5.93m (the previous record was 5.92m held by Kostas Filippidis).
On August 5 at Stade de France in Paris, with a jump of 5.90m, he won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games…
Both in Volos and Paris, Karalis attempted to become the first Greek to clear 6 meters in the pole vault but didn’t succeed. However, today in Silesia, Poland, Manolo finally achieved it!
Karalis showed from the start that he was in excellent form, beginning his competition at 5.62m, which he cleared on the first attempt, as he did with 5.72m and 5.82m. His first miss came at 5.92m, but his second attempt was truly impressive, indicating that he could reach the historic milestone of 6 meters.
After two failed attempts at 6 meters, Karalis, with the entire stadium and fellow athletes cheering him on, cleared the bar on his third try, becoming the first Greek to break one of the most significant barriers in world athletics!
Karalis finished the competition at 6.00m, taking 3rd place behind American Sam Kendricks (also at 6m) and world record-holder Armand Duplantis, who broke the world record again with a jump of 6.26m.
Emmanouil Karalis became the 29th athlete to surpass 6 meters!
Impressive Tentoglou Wins First Place with a Buzzer-Beater in Lausanne
In his first competition after winning gold in the long jump at the Paris Olympics, Tentoglou claimed 1st place at the Diamond League.
The Greek Olympian was in 3rd-4th place throughout the competition but clinched the win on his final jump, landing at 8.06 meters and snatching victory from his competitors.
This secured Tentoglou a spot in the final in Brussels and a $10,000 prize.
The competition:
The “golden” Olympic long jumper was in 6th place until his fifth attempt when a leap of 7.97m (-0.5) earned him the right to take another jump, as only the top three athletes get a final attempt at the Diamond League. Ahead of the 26-year-old champion were Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock with 8.01m (-0.2) and Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer with 7.99m (-0.9).
After seeing Pinnock reach 7.85m on his sixth attempt and Ehammer foul, Tentoglou took his position at the edge of the runway. Even his rivals expected what followed. He hit the take-off board (only his second time doing so in the competition after previously stepping far behind it) and landed over 8 meters. The measurement showed 8.06m (0.7), and Miltos Tentoglou secured yet another last-minute victory!
The truth is, the competition in Lausanne was quite challenging for all the jumpers due to the headwinds during their early attempts and the condition of the runway.
Tentoglou’s jumps in Lausanne: foul (-1.2), 7.61m (-0.9), 7.87m (-0.1), 7.69m (-0.2), 7.97m (-0.5), 8.06m (0.7).
With this win (his 12th consecutive victory this year), the athlete, coached by Giorgos Pomaski, secured his participation in the Diamond League final in Brussels on September 13-14.
