Spanish sports daily Marca has named Greek long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou and pole vaulter Emmanuel Karalis among the athletes expected to stand out at the European Athletics Championships, which open in Birmingham, England, on Monday.
The Men's and Women's championships will see Greece contesting medals through Tentoglou, Karalis, Tzengo and other notable athletes, according to the report.
In its feature on the leading figures of the championships, Marca singled out Tentoglou and Karalis specifically among the athletes tipped to shine in Birmingham.
Tentoglou chases a fourth straight European title
Marca described Tentoglou's return as a highlight of the championships, noting that four athletes have jumped beyond 8.40 meters this year. Tentoglou, a two-time Olympic champion and world champion, will be seeking his fourth consecutive European title.
He leads the world rankings this year with 8.66 meters, a personal best and the longest jump recorded anywhere in seven years, since Gayle's 8.69 meters in 2019, Marca reported.
Winning gold will still be a hard-fought battle, and one of the toughest in recent years, Marca said, because three athletes besides Balde during the winter season have also cleared 8.40 meters this year: Switzerland's Ehammer at 8.51 meters, Bulgaria's Sarambiyoukov at 8.49 meters, and Italy's Furlani at 8.43 meters.
Duplantis favored over Karalis in the pole vault
Marca called Armand Duplantis the big favorite in the pole vault, saying so with all due respect to Karalis, whom it referred to by the nickname Manolo. Duplantis, a two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion, is the leading international figure in the sport at the moment, Marca said, and will look for his fourth straight European title in Birmingham.
Despite his dominance in the event, marked by sixteen world records since 2020, Marca noted that the Swede has lost twice in recent weeks, an unusual occurrence for him in recent years.
The first defeat came in early June at the Bauhaus-Galan meeting in Stockholm, where Duplantis had two fouls at six meters and another at 6.05 meters, dropping him to second place behind Australia's Kurtis Marschall. He finished second again in London after withdrawing as a precaution, with a foul at 5.85 meters; the win went to American Sam Kendricks, Marca reported.
Marca said Duplantis will be tested again in Birmingham and has no rivals when in form. It named Karalis, who jumped 6.17 meters during the winter season, as his main rival on paper, but noted the Greek vaulter has not produced a standout result outdoors this season.
