Torun, Poland – Larissa Iapichino delivered a stunning performance, securing a silver medal in the long jump at the 2026 World Indoor Championships in Torun on Sunday. The 23-year-ancient Italian leaped 6.87 meters, finishing just five centimeters behind Portugal’s Agate De Sousa, who claimed gold with a jump of 6.92 meters. This marks Iapichino’s first global medal and the fourth for Italy at the championships, solidifying a strong showing for the Azzurri.
The competition unfolded dramatically. Iapichino, daughter of two-time world champion Fiona May, initially faced a challenging start with jumps of 6.49m and 6.69m, followed by a foul. She briefly fell outside the qualifying positions, finding herself in seventh place. However, demonstrating remarkable composure, Iapichino responded with a jump of 6.84 meters, taking the lead and forcing De Sousa to respond immediately. The Portuguese athlete answered with her winning jump of 6.92m, setting the stage for a thrilling final attempt.
Iapichino rose to the occasion, extending her distance to 6.87 meters, but it wasn’t enough to surpass De Sousa. Colombia’s Natalia Linares rounded out the podium with a bronze medal-winning jump of 6.80 meters. This silver medal represents a significant milestone for Iapichino, redeeming previous performances at major championships, including a 15th-place finish at the 2025 Tokyo Games, seventh in Glasgow 2024, and fifth in Budapest 2023.
“It was close to gold, but I liked how I competed in the second part of the competition, and I fought,” Iapichino said, as reported by the Italian athletics federation. “It always comes down to centimeters. There was a lot of grit and desire to win the medal in that jump. I felt emotionally involved, and that’s what sport should transmit – emotions. I thought I had a sort of curse with the World Championships as something always happened, but today, despite my usual ‘Larissate’ [referring to her own tendency for ups and downs], I finally managed to achieve this goal.”
Iapichino continued, acknowledging her early struggles in the competition. “I’m not a morning person, and I had to try to adapt. At the first jump, I was too low, at the second, too far, the third was a foul, and I told myself to wake up. I debuted in the national team here in Torun at the 2021 European Indoor Championships, and I’ve had a complicated relationship with this arena ever since. I’m happy to have made peace with it. And those five centimeters, I’ll be able to regain them this summer at the European Championships in Birmingham.”
Fabbri Finishes Seventh in Shot Put
The day’s action wasn’t limited to Iapichino’s success. However, Leonardo Fabbri faced a less favorable outcome in the men’s shot put, finishing seventh with a best throw of 20.92 meters. Entering the competition as the season’s world leader with a throw of 22.50 meters, Fabbri struggled to find his rhythm, opening with a foul. He followed with throws of 20.58m and 20.75m, ultimately falling short of the podium. New Zealand’s Tom Walsh secured the gold medal with a winning throw of 21.82 meters, claiming his fourth indoor world title and fifth world championship overall. American athletes Jordan Geist (21.64m) and Roger Steen (21.49m) took silver and bronze, respectively. Italy’s Nick Ponzio finished ninth with a throw of 20.37 meters.
“I messed up my first warm-up throw and from there I couldn’t stay on track,” Fabbri commented. “I improved on the last one, but not with the measure I wanted. I’m not a specialist in indoor events, I even tried changing shoes, but I didn’t like myself today.”
Gerevini Shows Promise in Pentathlon
In the early stages of the women’s pentathlon, Sveva Gerevini set a personal best in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking 8.25 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second faster than her previous best at the 2025 European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. She currently sits in seventh place overall in the event, which is led by Anna Hall (USA) with 2926 points and Sofie Dokter (Netherlands) with 2942 points. Gerevini also achieved a personal best in the shot put with a throw of 13.10 meters.
Hurdles Disappointment for Italian Athletes
Giada Carmassi and Elisa Di Lazzaro both fell short of qualifying for the semifinals in the 60-meter hurdles. Carmassi finished fifth in her heat with a time of 8.05 seconds, just two-hundredths of a second away from advancing, while Di Lazzaro placed sixth in her heat with a time of 8.10 seconds.
Looking Ahead to the Final Session
The third and final session of the World Indoor Championships promises more excitement for the Italian team. Mattia Furlani, the reigning champion, is set to compete in the long jump at 7:12 PM local time (1:12 PM ET). Federico Riva and Ludovica Cavalli will race in the finals of the 1500 meters, and Sveva Gerevini will complete the final two events of the pentathlon. The event will be broadcast live on RaiSport and Sky Sport Arena.
The Italian team’s performance in Torun has been a testament to their dedication and talent, and fans will be eagerly anticipating the final session of competition. Stay tuned to Archysport for continued coverage of the 2026 World Indoor Championships.
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