Furlani lands long jump gold for Italy as Katie Moon wins a thrilling pole vault final in Tokyo.

September 17 marked the fourth day of action at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, and it was the field events that delivered some of the most compelling moments of the evening session.

In the men’s long jump final, Italy’s Mattia Furlani became the youngest ever men’s long jump world champion in Tokyo, producing a lifetime best of 8.39m to claim gold at just 20 years old – surpassing the age record previously held by Carl Lewis, who won his first world title aged 22 in 1983.

The Olympic bronze medallist and world indoor champion jumped his winning mark in the fifth round, propelling him into the lead in a tightly contested final.

Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, the 2019 world champion, pushed Furlani close with a season’s best of 8.34m to take silver – an improvement on his bronze in Budapest from 2023.

China’s Yuhao Shi was one of the surprises of the night. He led the competition briefly in the second round with a leap of 8.33m, and while he was later passed by both Furlani and Gayle, his early effort held up for the bronze medal.

Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer, the Diamond League champion and multi-event specialist competing in both the long jump and decathlon in Tokyo, narrowly missed the podium. His best of 8.30m left him just three centimetres shy of a medal.

There was also a surprise further down the field as Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece struggled to find form, managing only 7.83m and finishing in 11th.

He said: "It was the worst competition of my life. I was feeling great and strong during warm-up. Maybe, it was my mistake that I did the warm-up more powerfully (than usual), but I'm in the shape of my life and I just thought that it would be okay. I got cramps in my calf on both legs at the same time on my first attempt and then I couldn't do anything."

With Britain’s Molly Caudery forced to withdraw during qualification warm-up due to an ankle injury, the women’s pole vault final in Tokyo became a showdown between familiar global contenders – particularly from the United States.

Four athletes cleared 4.75m to stay in the medal hunt: Americans Katie Moon and Sandi Morris, Slovenia’s Tina Šutej, and Amálie Švábíková of the Czech Republic. But the next height, 4.80m, proved to be the separator.

Švábíková exited the competition at 4.80m and finished fourth, while Morris and Šutej cleared it on their second attempts. Moon sailed over on her first try, giving her the advantage heading into 4.85m.

At that height, the momentum shifted. Morris cleared it on her first attempt, despite a wobble on the pole, while Moon was unable to respond. Šutej recorded three failures and took bronze.

With Morris now holding the lead on countback, it was Moon who made the decisive move. She raised the bar to 4.90m, knowing she needed to clear it within two attempts to win gold - and did so under pressure on her final try. It secured a third straight world title for Moon, with Morris having to settle for silver.

The men’s triple jump qualification rounds in Tokyo took an unexpected turn when Olympic champion Jordan Alejandro Díaz Fortún withdrew after his opening effort, which was ruled a foul. The Cuban-born Spaniard, who won gold in Paris last year, did not return for a second attempt, leaving the competition without its Olympic champion.

Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo, the Olympic silver medallist and former world champion, advanced comfortably with a jump of 17.19m. Fellow Paris medallist Andy Díaz Hernández, representing Italy, also booked his place in the final with a mark of 16.94m.

The top distance of the day came from Algeria’s Yasser Triki, who led the qualifying rounds with a leap of 17.26m.

The leading contenders in the men’s javelin all progressed comfortably to the final during qualifying in Tokyo.

Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan threw 85.28m to secure his place, while world champion Neeraj Chopra needed just one attempt, reaching 84.85m to advance automatically.

Julian Weber of Germany, the Diamond League champion and current world leader with 91.51m, also progressed through with a solid 87.21m.