Mike Powell, the man who has held the long jump world record for 35 years, thinks Miltiadis Tentoglou can get within fiv...

Mike Powell, the man who has held the long jump world record for 35 years, thinks Miltiadis Tentoglou can get within five centimeters of it. Speaking on a show dedicated to jumping, Powell said Tentoglou has the mental toughness to reach 8.90 meters. His reasoning was simple: any athlete who can consistently jump 8.60 meters has the ability to reach 8.90. And Tentoglou, Powell noted, does exactly that, jumping 8.60 whenever he needs to. Powell set the world record of 8.95 meters on August 30, 1991, at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, beating Carl Lewis who had gone undefeated for a decade. That jump also broke Bob Beamon's legendary 1968 record by five centimeters, and it still stands as the longest-surviving world record in the event. Powell's career included two World Championship titles in 1991 and 1993, along with silver medals at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After retiring, he moved into coaching, and his praise for Tentoglou carries real weight given that background. Tentoglou already holds an extraordinary medal collection that rivals the greatest long jumpers in history. The Greek champion is the reigning Olympic and World champion, and Powell's comments suggest the record that has stood since 1991 may not be safe for much longer. #Tentoglou #LongJump #Athletics