Reigning Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo from Germany needed all three attempts to qualify for the long jump final in Paris 2024 on Tuesday (6) morning.
But her third attempt suggests Mihambo has recovered sufficiently from a recent bout of coronavirus to put up a staunch defence of her Olympic title from Tokyo 2020.
After two fouls, Mihambo sailed out to 6.86m on her third and final attempt despite giving away a generous 30.8 centimetres on the take-off board.
Mihambo, who holds the world lead with 7.22m from winning the European Athletics Championships in Rome, produced the third best jump across the two pools behind world silver medallist Tara Davis-Woodhall from the United States (6.90m) and European silver medallist Larissa Iapichino from Italy (6.87m).
Other Europeans to qualify for the final included Romania’s world bronze medallist Alina Rotaru-Kottmann (6.63m) and France’s Hilary Kpatacha, who was the 12th qualifier for the final with 6.59m.
However, there was no space in the final for reigning world champion Ivana Spanovic from Serbia who has been struggling with an Achilles tendon injury this year.
Competing in her fifth Olympic Games, Spanovic could only manage a best of 6.51m - a season’s best - across her three attempts.
One and done for Weber in javelin qualifying
Mihambo’s teammate Julian Weber also qualified for the javelin final albeit in a less roundabout fashion, comfortably surpassing the automatic qualifying distance of 84 metres on his first throw with 87.76m.
This was the third best mark across the two pools behind India’s reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra (89.34m) and Grenada’s Anderson Peters (88.63m).
Reigning European champion Jakub Vadlejch from Czechia also progressed with 85.63m along with the Finnish triumvirate of Toni Keranen (85.27m), Oliver Helander (83.81m) and Lassi Etelatalo (82.91m) and Moldova’s Andrian Mardare (84.13m).
On the track, Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir secured a safe passage into the semifinals of the 1500m, finishing second in the first heat in 3:58.91 behind Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay in 3:58.84, the fastest ever heat times recorded in Olympic history.
Reigning European champion Ciara Mageean from Ireland was a late withdrawal from the 1500m due to a recurring Achilles injury.
Steven Mills for European Athletics