Filippa Fotopoulou became the first Cypriot woman to compete in three consecutive European Athletics Championships finals after placing eighth in the long jump in Birmingham.
Fotopoulou recorded 6.67 metres on her opening attempt, assisted by a legal tailwind of 1.5 metres per second. The mark left her two centimetres behind Sweden’s seventh-placed Maja Åskag and secured the best European Championships result of her career.
The Cypriot initially placed 13th in qualifying with a jump of 6.60 metres. She was subsequently promoted to the final after Sweden’s Ayla Hallberg Hossain, who had qualified in 10th place, withdrew with an injury to the back of her thigh.
Italy’s Larissa Iapichino won the title with a jump of 7.00 metres. Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers took silver with 6.99 metres, while France’s Hilary Kpatcha claimed bronze with 6.98 metres, leaving just two centimetres between the three medallists.
Fotopoulou’s eighth-place finish continued her improvement over three successive editions of the championships. She placed 12th in Munich in 2022 and 11th in Rome in 2024.
The Pancyprian Gymnastic Association (GSP) said she was the first Cypriot female athlete to reach three consecutive European Championships finals.
The 27th European Athletics Championships were held at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium from 10 to 16 August. The event marked the first time Britain had hosted the championships.
Italy topped the final medal table with 10 golds and 22 medals overall, finishing ahead of hosts Great Britain, who won nine golds and 19 medals.
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