Bulgarian national Bozhidar Saraboyukov won a bronze medal in the long jump at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham 2026.
The 22-year-old talent from Harmanli showed exceptional mentality in the sector, securing a place on the podium at the last possible moment in extremely difficult weather conditions.
Drama until the last second under hurricane winds
The final competition at the “Alexander Stadium“ turned into a real thriller, greatly hampered by a powerful headwind, reaching up to 3 m/s at certain moments. Saraboyukov started off strong with an attempt of 8.10 meters in a headwind of 1.1 m/s. Jumps of 7.84 m, 8.03 m, 8.09 m and 8.05 m followed, keeping him in the top three for most of the evening.
The real drama came in the last sixth series. The Portuguese Gerson Balde, the world indoor champion from Torun 2026, made a strong attempt of 8.18 meters and temporarily displaced the Bulgarian from the medal position. Under enormous pressure and with a headwind of 1.7 m/s, the graduate of Dimitar Karamfilov responded phenomenally – a record jump of 8.26 meters for the evening, with which he regained third place and blew away the Bulgarian headquarters.
The wind broke the favorites
The harsh British conditions cost many of the contenders in the sector dearly. The physically stronger Swiss Simon Eamer managed to use his muscles at the beginning to clear 8.29 meters, but then literally failed in his third attempt with only 6.15 meters due to gusts. The young Italian hope Francesco Inzolli never found the right run against the wall of wind and remained outside the podium with 8.04 meters. Only the two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece) demonstrated perfect technique on the powerlift and grabbed his fourth consecutive European outdoor gold with 8.44 meters. The other big favorite - world champion Mattia Furlani (Italy) - did not reach the final at all due to a serious injury in the qualifications.
Support from the stands and words from the staff
Saroboyukov's success was watched live by a special cheerleader in the stands in Birmingham. Close to him in the sector were his sister and national champion in the high jump Iren Saraboyukova, as well as his girlfriend Raina.
The athlete's staff said that this was the logical upgrade after his sixth place in Rome in 2024, the European indoor title in Apeldoorn 2025 and the podiums in the Diamond League. “Bozhidar has a champion's character. To react with 8.26 meters in the sixth attempt, after they have displaced you from the medal, only the greatest can do it“, the experts commented. This is also the first distinction for Bulgaria at the European Outdoor Championships since Berlin 2018 (silver for Mirela Demireva).
Program for the remaining Bulgarian athletes in Birmingham (until August 16)
Bulgarian participation at the European Championships in Birmingham continues in full force in the coming days. Here's when to support our national representatives:
- August 12 (Wednesday): Final in the women's triple jump, where our great hopes are directed at Alexandra Nacheva and Gabriela Petrova.
- August 13 (Thursday): Qualifications in the women's high jump with the participation of Iren Saraboyukova.
- August 14-15 (Friday-Saturday): Semi-finals and possible finals in sprint and technical disciplines.
- August 16 (Sunday): Final closing sessions of the championship and the championship.