Portugal’s Agate De Sousa and Larissa Iapichino of Italy homing in on first global medals
Double Olympic bronze medallist Jasmine Moore looking good for more
Depth of talent provides prospect of hugely competitive contest
Portugal’s Agate De Sousa and Larissa Iapichino of Italy, who top this year’s world list with 6.97m and 6.93m respectively, will both seek a first global medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26.
But they will be hard-pressed to do so, given the depth of talent in what promises to be one of most closely contested events at this year’s championships.
De Sousa, 25, earned bronze at the 2024 European Championships and gold at the 2025 World University Games. Her season’s best, achieved in Madrid last month, along with her 2023 personal best of 7.03m, offers strong evidence of her potential to add further medals to her collection.
Iapichino, 23, has an outdoor best of 7.06m – five centimetres shy of the Italian record held by her mother, Fiona May.
With European indoor gold and silver to her credit, and silver at her home European Championships in Rome two years ago, Iapichino – Diamond League winner in 2024 and 2025 – looks ready to take a significant step up.
The closest she has come thus far to a global medal was in finishing fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympics with 6.87m – nine centimetres behind Jasmine Moore of the United States.
Moore, who also earned triple jump bronze at the 2024 Olympics, will be ranked third in Poland on her 2026 performance, having recorded 6.86m in Fayetteville last month. She is also looking for a first world indoor medal, having finished fifth at the 2024 edition in Glasgow.
But the three list-leaders will be taking nothing for granted given the achievements of those in the rest of the field.
Switzerland’s 25-year-old Annik Kalin, European heptathlon bronze medallist in 2022, demonstrated her versatility last year as she earned long jump silver at both the European Indoors and World Indoors.
Colombia’s Natalia Linares, joint 10th on this year’s world list with 6.73m, took a surprise world bronze in Tokyo last year.
Monae’ Nichols of the United States was sixth at the 2024 Olympics, having earned silver at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow earlier in the year.
Romania’s Alina Rotaru-Cottman was seventh at the 2024 Olympics, while her teammate Ramona Verman was European U23 champion in 2025.
Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia won European indoor bronze in 2021 and has jumped 6.95m. Meanwhile Serbia will be represented by Milica Gardasevic, who missed a medal by one place at last year’s European Indoors.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics
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