Mattia Furlani in Metz (© Studio Camigali)
Italy’s Mattia Furlani and Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov produced the standout field performance at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlélor Crédit Mutuel – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting – on Sunday (8), both soaring to world-leading marks of 8.39m in the men’s long jump.
The highlights on the track, meanwhile, came courtesy of Yann Schrub, who delighted the home crowd by setting an outright French record to win the men’s 3000m, and 400m hurdles specialist Femke Bol, who made her highly anticipated debut in the women’s 800m, coming away with a highly promising 1:59.07 victory.
The men’s long jump developed into a compelling duel between Furlani, the world indoor and outdoor champion, and Saraboyukov, the European indoor champion. Furlani first took control in the second round with 8.38m and consolidated his position with 8.33m in round three. Saraboyukov responded in the fourth round with 8.37m to move within one centimetre of the lead.
Both athletes then produced identical winning marks of 8.39m in the fifth round. They remained closely matched in the final round too, Furlani jumping 8.23m and Saraboyukov 8.24m, but neither could improve further as Furlani claimed victory on countback.
Their shared winning distance places them jointly 23rd on the world indoor all-time list and equal seventh on the European indoor all-time list. It is also just the seventh occasion in history that two men have surpassed 8.39m in the same indoor competition.
Schrub delivered one of the performances of the meeting in the men’s 3000m. The 2023 European cross-country champion tracked the pacemaker for most of the way, then took up the running in the closing stages before going on to win comfortably in a meeting record and outright national record of 7:29.38. Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean was second in 7:40.64.
Schrub’s winning mark moves him to third on the European short track all-time list, second on the world list for 2026, and 16th on the world short track all-time list.
Much of the pre-meeting attention centred on the women’s 800m, where two-time world 400m hurdles champion Bol was making her debut over the distance. The Dutch athlete, looking remarkably comfortable throughout for a debutante at the distance, followed the pacemaker through 400m in about 57 seconds and passed 600m in 1:28.86.
Swiss duo Valentina Rosamilia and Lore Hoffmann closed slightly on Bol in the closing stages, but Bol held on to win in 1:59.07, taking almost a second off the Dutch short-track record that had stood since 2001. Rosamilia (1:59.90) and Hoffmann (1:59.91) finished second and third respectively, both setting short-track personal bests.
“It’s always a pleasure to race here,” said 25-year-old Bol, who holds the world short track record for 400m. “It was nice. A bit long but I’ll get used to it.”
Meeting records tumble
Several meeting records were set elsewhere in Metz. Algeria’s Mohamed Ali Gouaned won the men’s 800m in a meeting and national record of 1:44.67, moving to 17th on the world indoor all-time list.
Just days after setting a European short track record of 45.01, Hungary’s European indoor champion Attila Molnar set a meeting record of 45.57 in the men’s 400m.
Slovenia’s world bronze medallist Tina Sutej cleared 4.80m to win the women’s pole vault with a meeting record, while Czechia’s Amalie Svabikova cleared 4.75m.
Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska won the women’s 60m hurdles in 7.82 ahead of Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji (7.87), whose runner-up finish marked her fastest season opener and first race since winning the world title in Tokyo last year.
Luxembourg’s world indoor bronze medallist Patrizia van der Weken ran a season’s best of 7.08 to win the women’s 60m, with the Netherlands’ Minke Bisschops finishing second in a personal best of 7.11.
Norway’s world indoor bronze medallist Henriette Jaeger clocked 50.62 to win the women’s 400m ahead of Slovakia’s world 400m hurdles bronze medallist Emma Zapletova, who set an outright national record of 50.78, and Czechia’s Lurdes Gloria Manuel, who ran a personal best of 51.03.
Spain’s Jael Bestue set a national record of 22.69 in the women’s 200m A race, while Australia’s Torrie Lewis clocked 22.70 to win the B race.
