Furlani & Iapichino Win Silver | Italy Shines at World Indoor Athletics Championships

March 23, 2026 Alex Carter - Sports Editor Sport

Larissa Iapichino and Mattia Furlani each secured a silver medal in the long jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on Sunday, bringing Italy’s total medal count to five.

Iapichino achieved her result with a jump of 6.87 meters, finishing behind Portugal’s Agate De Sousa, who leaped 6.92 meters. Colombia’s Natalia Linares took bronze with 6.80 meters. The Italian athlete faced a challenging start to the competition, initially recording jumps of 6.49 and 6.69 meters, followed by a foul, and then 6.66 meters. She improved to 6.84 meters on her fifth attempt before ultimately reaching 6.87 meters on her final jump.

Furlani, despite battling a gastrointestinal issue that surfaced the night before the competition, delivered a strong performance, equaling his personal best of 8.39 meters. This performance secured him second place, narrowly behind Portugal’s Gerson Baldé, who claimed gold with a personal best and world-leading seasonal mark of 8.46 meters. Bozhidar Saraboyukov of Bulgaria secured the bronze medal with a jump of 8.31 meters.

Furlani’s journey to the silver medal was marked by a series of jumps: 8.16 meters, 8.25 meters, a foul, and 8.23 meters before his decisive 8.39-meter jump on his fifth attempt. He had previously recorded the 8.39-meter jump three times before.

Italy’s success at the championships included prior gold medals won by Andy Diaz, Zaynab Dosso, and Nadia Battocletti. With the two silver medals from Iapichino and Furlani, Italy finished third in the medal table, marking a record achievement for the nation at a World Indoor Championships.

This is Furlani’s seventh consecutive podium finish in a global long jump competition, including Olympic, World, and European championships, both indoors and outdoors. He previously won silver at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow with a jump of 8.22 meters and claimed gold at the 2025 World Championships in Nanjing with 8.30 meters.