Izmir Smajlaj

Izmir Smajlaj
Personal information
NicknameIzo Toqi
Born (1993-03-29) 29 March 1993 (age 31)
Shkodër, Albania
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight86 kg (190 lb)[1]
Sport
SportAthletics
EventLong jump
ClubK.S TIRONA
Coached byBesim Lekaj
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Albania
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Belgrade Long jump

Izmir Smajlaj (born 29 March 1993) is an Albanian athlete who specialises in the long jump.[2] He won the gold medal at the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, the first gold medal for his country at a major athletics competition, setting a new national and personal record of 8.08 metres in 2017.

His personal bests in the long jump are:

  • 8.16 metres outdoors (NWI, 2021) in Tirana. (new national record)
  • 8.11 metres outdoors (–0.7 m/s wind, 2019) in Shkodër. (new national record)
  • 8.08 metres indoors (2017) – First place in long jump competition, gold medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships, Belgrade, Serbia[2]
  • 7.93 metres indoors (2018) – First place in long jump competition, gold medal at the Balkan Indoor Championships, Istanbul, Turkey
  • 7.89 metres outdoors (2018) – First place in long jump competition, gold medal and best olympic athlete of the match[clarification needed] at the Albanian Athletics Outdoor Championships, Elbasan, Albania
  • 7.89 metres outdoors (2018) – 7.83 metres outdoors ( 2024 )

In addition, in the triple jump, he has a personal best of 16.30 metres outdoors (-0.2 m/s wind; 2016; Elbasan, Albania) and 15.15 metres indoors (2014; Tirana, Albania).[2] All the first three marks[which?] are current national records.

In 2023, the president and general secretary of the Albanian Athletics Federation were banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit for manipulating one of Smajlaj's 2021 results that earned him a universality placement at the Tokyo Olympics. Smajlaj was cleared of wrongdoing.[3]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Albania
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain – Long jump NM
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 24th (q) Long jump 7.55 m
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 22nd (q) Long jump 7.56 m
2016 Championships of the Small States of Europe Marsa, Malta 2nd Long jump 7.57 m
European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 9th Long jump 7.75 m
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 21st (q) Long jump 7.72 m
2017 European Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 1st Long jump 8.08 m
2018 Balkan Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 1st Long jump 7.80 m
Mediterranean Games Tarragona, Spain 4th Long jump 7.85 m
European Championships Berlin, Germany 10th Long jump 7.83 m
Championships of the Small States of Europe Schaan, Liechtenstein 1st[4] Long jump 7.90 m
2019 Balkan Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 2nd Long jump 7.70 m
2020 Balkan Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 1st Long jump 7.91 m
2021 Balkan Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 1st Long jump 7.91 m
Championships of the Small states of Europe Serravalle, San Marino 1st Long jump 7.90 m
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 17th (q) Long jump 7.86 m
2022 Balkan Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 1st[5] Long jump 7.79 m
2024 European Championships Rome, Italy 21st (q) Long jump 7.78 m
Championships of the Small States of Europe Gibraltar 1st Long jump 7.83 m

References

  1. ^ a b "Izmir Smailaj". eurosport.com. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Izmir Smajlaj at World Athletics Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ "Two officials banned over fake long jump results". ESPN.com. 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  4. ^ "Smajlaj, gold medal in Lichtenstein". top-channel.tv. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  5. ^ "Result of Balkan indoor Championships" (PDF). March 5, 2022.