Mattia Furlani’s journey has been one of soaring ambitions and remarkable achievements. Born in Italy of Senegalese descent on a chilly February day, 2005, he emerged into a world where high-jump runs in the family—his father, Marcello Furlani, once gracefully soared to a personal best of 2.27 meters. Under his father’s tutelage, Mattia swiftly climbed the ranks, marking his presence as a formidable force in athletics with dual gold medals at the European U18 Championships in 2022.

The 2024 Paris Olympics were a turning point for the then 19-year-old, where he leaped to a bronze medal in the long jump, a performance he recalls vividly. “It was incredible,” he says, and there’s an unmistakable essence of awe in his words that lingers in the air. Yet his ambitions don’t stop with medals; with a personal best of 8.38 meters, he’s gunning for the elusive 8.40, a goal that echoes in his training regimen.

In 2025, he became the youngest long jump world champion, staggering the crowd at the World Championships in Tokyo with a fifth-round jump of 8.39 meters. Before this, he was the reigning indoor world champion, nurturing a rivalry with Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, someone he admires yet fiercely competes against. Mattia’s life is not merely about records; it’s physical yet deeply emotional, beautifully punctuated by a love for pasta and a hidden fandom for Roma, where he would prioritize his own triumphs over the team’s glory.

And still, debates swirl around what it means to be the next generation’s hope. As he nurtures younger athletes like Daniele Inzoli, the top U20 long jumper, there’s uncertainty about the future of his legacy. Will those to come embody the same passion? Perhaps, as he states, it’s not about whether he will leap higher, but about the bonds forged through sport that will truly define him. With his mother guiding him as a coach and his sights set on the horizon, Mattia Furlani appears not just to be a jumper, but a harbinger of more significant leaps ahead.