Tentoglou wins gold at Euro indoor championships in Istanbul; solemn reference to rail tragedy in Greece

Olympic champion Miltiadis (Miltos) Tentoglou on Sunday became the first man to win a third consecutive long jump title at a European Athletics Indoor Championships tournament, thanks to a first-round best attempt of 8.30 meters in Istanbul.

His subsequent celebration and statements were significantly dampened and affected by a rail tragedy in Greece five days earlier, on Tuesday evening, a catastrophic train collision that left 57 people – at last count – dead, mostly young college students.

The 24-year-old, a native of the northwest city of Grevena, continued his perfect record in European competition, where he also placed first in 2018 and 2022.

In statements afterwards, Tentoglou emphasized, in referring to the rail disaster, the tragic nature of the unprecedented train crash.

“I’m ashamed to be speaking. There’s nothing we can do to soften the pain of these people… I’d like to thank all of the Greek people that were here today, and created a fantastic atmosphere in the stands. It’s significant for me, and I’m glad I achieved this. I wasn’t as good as I wanted, but I tried for the best; I also had a big jump that was disqualified,” he said afterwards.