• Mattia Furlani defends title against fellow 21-year-old rival Bozhidar Sarâboyukov
• Double Olympic gold medallist Miltiadis Tentoglou seeking third world indoor crown
• Liam Adcock, Tajay Gayle and Carey McLeod clear medal contenders in competitive field

Italy’s 21-year-old phenomenon Mattia Furlani, world outdoor and indoor champion last year, is in the form to make a successful defence of the latter title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26.

But he will need every atom of his extraordinary natural ability to hold off the challenge of a densely talented field which includes another fast-rising 21-year-old in Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Sarâboyukov and Greece’s double Olympic champion and two-time world indoor champion Miltiadis Tentoglou.

The latter athlete is seeking a hat-trick of titles at these championships, having won in 2022 and 2024, when he successfully defended his title on countback after he and Furlani had registered 8.22m.

Furlani, who has high-jumped 2.17m, equalled his outright long jump PB of 8.39m in Metz last month when he won on countback from Sarâboyukov.

Three days later, the Bulgarian – who shared world U20 high jump silver in 2020 and has cleared 2.28m in that event – registered a world-leading 8.45m in Belgrade.

He will be eager to add world indoor gold to the European indoor gold he won last year with an effort of 8.13m – one centimetre farther than Furlani.

Such a rivalry would be compelling viewing in itself – but there will be so many other layers of interest in this competition, with the combative Tentoglou, who has found the way to win with outrageous regularity in the past decade, lurking with intent once again.

Tentoglou’s career record is so extraordinary that it is hard to realise he is still only 27. Apart from his world indoor titles and Olympic victories in 2021 and 2024 – where Furlani earned bronze – he has world outdoor gold and silver, three European outdoor and three European indoor golds.

His challenge at last year’s World Championships was affected by a calf injury he sustained during his second jump in the final.

With a lifetime best of 8.65m, Tentoglou will arrive as the fourth-ranked jumper in Poland thanks to his season’s best of 8.27m.

One place above him is another high jumper/long jumper in Portugal’s Gerson Balde, who registered 8.32m in Braga last month.

Other strong medal contenders include Australia’s Liam Adcock, last year’s world indoor bronze medallist in Nanjing, and the Jamaican contingent of Cary McLeod and Tajay Gayle

McLeod earned world indoor bronze in 2024, while Gayle won the 2019 world outdoor title with a personal best of 8.69m and added world bronze in 2023 and world silver last year.

Also back in the mix is South Africa’s 2017 world champion Luvo Manyonga, now 35.

Shu Heng is the only entrant not to have jumped beyond eight metres this season, but he placed sixth at least year’s World Indoors with 8.14m.

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

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