The World Athletics Federation announced recently that Greek Olympic champion Miltos Tentoglou has been nominated as the male field athlete for 2024.
Tentoglou, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will compete against Ryan Crouser (USA), the world record holder in shot put; Jordan Alejandro Díaz Fortún (ESP), the Olympic gold medalist in triple jump and world-leading mark holder; Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis (SWE), the world record holder in pole vault; and Ethan Katzberg (CAN), the world champion in hammer throw and Olympic gold medalist.
A panel of international experts has compiled a long list of nominees. Voting will take place to determine the two finalists in each category. The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50 percent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and social media votes will each count for 25 percent of the result.
The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while the social vote will be open on Facebook, Instagram and X. Once the finalists have been established, a fan vote will open – for all registered users of Inside Track – to help determine the overall World Athletes of the Year.
For more information on how to vote please follow the link here
Tentoglou nominated for athlete of the year after Olympic triumph
Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou leaped 8.48 meters to become only the second man after Carl Lewis to successfully defend the men’s Olympic long jump at the Paris Olympic Games in August.
Reuters highlighted Tentoglou’s achievement and it likened him to Lewis, the American legend who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold.
“Poker-faced world champion Tentoglou clinched the title with his second attempt, cracking a smile only once he was able to embrace his team in the stands before wrapping himself in the Greece flag,” the Reuters report continued.
Tentoglou’s rise to the top
Until the age of 15, the Olympic medalist had no experience whatsoever in track and field. However, he won the gold medal for Greece in the long jump at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic) and the gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
After winning the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, Tentoglou became the World Indoor champion, jumping the current Greek indoor record of 8.55 meters. This places him 6th on the respective world all-time list.
He was also the silver medal winner at the outdoor World Championships. He is a six-time European champion, winning a record three consecutive outdoor titles in 2018, 2022, and 2024 and a record three successive men’s indoor titles between 2019 and 2023.
The following year, he was the U20 champion, and in 2019, he was European U23 champion. In 2022, Tentoglou was the 2022 Diamond League long jump champion. In Greece, he is the indoor record holder and has won 10 national long jump titles.