Agate de Sousa Reaches European Final with Seven-Meter Jump

Agate de Sousa, the reigning world indoor long jump champion, has secured her spot in the Birmingham2026 European Athletics Championships final with an impressive 7.00-meter leap on her very first attempt.

The 26-year-old Benfica athlete needed just one jump to guarantee her place in Sunday's final, scheduled for 8:05 PM. Her mark was the second-best in qualification, surpassed only by Germany's defending champion, Malaika Mihambo, who jumped 7.10 meters. Italy's Larissa Iapichino, the Rome2024 silver medalist, posted the third-best mark with 6.94 meters.

The automatic qualification standard was set at 6.80 meters, or the top 12 athletes. The final qualifier was France's Yanis David, with a jump of 6.61 meters.

"As soon as I jumped, I looked at the scoreboard and saw seven meters. I didn't even notice the wind. It was seven meters, and that was enough to advance, which was our goal," stated Agate de Sousa, visibly pleased with her performance, which marks her best jump of the year, surpassing her previous indoor season best from February by three centimeters.

Despite being the second-best qualifier, the Portuguese athlete expressed her delight. "With seven meters, I can't be sad. I'm happy, regardless of whether it's the first or second-best mark," she emphasized.

With her sights set on the final, Agate de Sousa, who earned a bronze medal at the last European Championships, doesn't hide her ambition to reach the podium again. "I really want a medal. If it's gold, even better. But if not, life goes on," she declared, aware of the fierce competition. "Tomorrow is another day, it's the same opponents, and we know they train hard too, and the others are jumping well. I have to give it my all, knowing that anything can happen."

The athlete's personal best is 7.03 meters, a mark achieved in 2023 when she still represented São Tomé and Príncipe. One of her major career goals is to surpass the national record of 7.12 meters, set by Naide Gomes on July 29, 2008, who also holds silver medals from the Gothenburg2006 and Barcelona2010 European Championships.