News25 Jan 2014


Quality long jump clash set for Stockholm

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Ignisious Gaisah in action in the long jump (© Getty Images)

Michel Torneus has won the long jump on home soil at the XL Galan for the past three years and he will be looking for a fourth consecutive victory at the IAAF Indoor Permit meeting in Stockholm on 6 February.

Torneus, who finished fourth at the London 2012 Olympics, won at the Globe Arena last year with a Swedish indoor record of 8.20m before going on to improve that with 8.29m to take the silver medal at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg.

His appearance at this year’s XL Galan will be his season debut and the European bronze medallist will be up against a tough field.

At last year’s IAAF World Championships, Ignisious Gaisah produced his best jump for seven years to take the silver medal with a Dutch record of 8.29m. He has fond memories of the XL Galan meeting, having set his indoor PB of 8.36m there in 2006, one month before winning the world indoor title.

Germany’s 2010 European champion Christian Reif finished one place behind Torneus at the 2013 European Indoor Championships. It will be his first ever appearance at the Globe Arena.

Panama’s Irving Saladino, the 2008 Olympic champion and 2007 world champion, will be hoping to return to eight-metre territory in what will be his first indoor season for almost four years.

Also in the field is British record-holder Chris Tomlinson. The 2010 European bronze medallist and 2008 world indoor silver medallist will look to improve on his fifth-place finish from last year’s XL Galan meeting.

China’s Li Jinzhe rounds out the field. He set an indoor PB of 8.11m at last year’s XL Galan meeting and improved to 8.34m outdoors.

Organisers for the IAAF