Men's Olympic Long Jump Odds: Miltiadis Tentoglou a 1/6 favourite to retain title

The men's long jump final is one of the highlights of Tuesday evening's action at the Olympics and all eyes will be on defending champion Miltiadis Tentoglou.

The Greek is aiming to become the first long jumper since Carl Lewis to successfully defend the title.

The American won it at Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 and at 26, there might still be scope for the current champion to emulate him.

Olympic Men's Long Jump final odds

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Miltiadis Tentoglou

The reigning champion topped qualifying with a jump of 8.32m, using only one of his three attempts and showing his rivals that, in case they didn't know, he is in Paris to defend the crown he won in Tokyo.

His PB of 8.65m on the way to winning June's European Championship in Rome is also the best in the world this year and he looks a class apart, with all five of his valid jumps at the Stadio Olimpico measured beyond the 8.40 mark.

Tentoglou is heavy odds-on at 1/6 against the 7/2 field and it would be a huge shock to see the world indoor champion fail to retain his title.

Mattia Furlani

Silver behind Tentoglou at both March's indoor Worlds in Glasgow and Europeans in Rome, Italy's Mattia Furlani appears to be the best of the rest.

Still a teenager, he has dominated the continental youth scene and is starting to accrue senior medals.

Furlani was second behind the favourite in their most recent head-to-head at the Continental Tour Gold in Szekesfehrvar and qualified with ease (8.01m). 

His 10/11 to achieve a podium might be the best way to go and the form suggests he will medal, having also set a PB (8.38m) at the Europeans.

Carey McLeod

Jamaica's Carey McLeod is the only athlete to have beaten Tentoglou this year, edging him into second place at May's Diamond League meeting in Doha.

Conditions maybe played their part, jumping a career-best 8.52m with an illegal wind of +5.2 m/s.

His best of 7.90 in qualfying hints he is holding something back and has had a decent season, including winning bronze at the World Indoors and triumphing at the Jamaican Championships.

He is 5/4 to make the podium and go one better than last year's World Championships in Budapest, where he finished fourth.

Wayne Pinnock

McLeod's compatriot Wayne Pinnock won silver last year in Budapest, agonisingly jumping just 2cm shorter than Tentoglou.

He was second to McLeod at the Jamaican Championships but jumped a decent 7.96m in qualifying and is another who was certainly holding back, having recorded a PB of 8.54m in losing to Tentoglou in the Hungarian capital.

That performance suggests he can raise his game when needed and is 5/4 for a podium and 10/11 to edge Simon Ehammer in their match-up.

Simon Ehammer

A true all-rounder, Switzerland's Ehammer won gold at the World Indoors in January and won bronze in this discipline in June, leaping 8.41m, missing out on the national record by just 4cm.

The 24-year-old didn't compete in the decathlon in Paris and appears focused on this competition. He is another who is 5/4 to finish on the podium.

Last year, Ehammer won the Diamond League meeting in Eugene but that was without Tentoglou. Gold is unlikely but he has a chance to make the rostrum. He jumped a decent 8.09m in qualifying and is 4/5 to beat Pinnock in their match-up.

Jianan Wang

China's Jianan Wang was third in qualifying, jumping 8.12 - Czech Radek Juska was a surprise second with 8.15 and is 100/1 outright - requiring just a single attempt to book his place in the final.

That was a season's best, which means he might be trending in the right direction after a mixed 2024 that has so far included a disappointing ninth in Glasgow but a second place in the Diamond League in Yangtze.

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