How long jumper Ivana Spanovic lost a gold medal because of a safety pin

Paris 2024
Not the first time
A lost opportunity
An unfortunate coincidence
London 2017
She was one of the favorites
Last jump was a winner
The previous top jump was 7.02 meters
A jump that looked like gold
The spectators were thrilled
6.91 meters?
How was that possible?
Revealed in slow motion
A critical mishap
Tears
Complaint rejected
But it didn't stop there
A leap that went down in history
Paris 2024

Ivana Spanovic, the reigning women's long jump world champion, has failed to reach the Olympic final after battling an Achilles injury in recent times, per European Athletics.

Not the first time

Despite his impressive performances on the world stage, Spanovic has a history of missing out in bizarre circumstances, read on to learn more!

A lost opportunity

There was a deafening silence at London's Olympic Stadium in 2017 as the long jump medalists at the World Athletics Championships were announced. A shocking turn of events meant that Ivana Spanovic, who had recorded the longest jump of the day, would not be called to the podium. But why?

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An unfortunate coincidence

It only took seconds for those in attendance and around the world to realize – Ivana Spanovic had just lost a World Championship long jump gold medal... because of her jersey number! How did that happen?

London 2017

Let's take a look back at the 2017 World Athletics Championships, which took place in the British capital during a hot August.

She was one of the favorites

Serbia's Ivana Spanovic was one of the favorites to win her event after taking home a bronze at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics a year earlier.

Last jump was a winner

And the chances were good for the athlete, who had led the competition with his last jump.

The previous top jump was 7.02 meters

And so it was. On her final attempt, Ivana Spanovic jumped, confident that she was superior to her competitors and that she could surpass the 7.02 meters of Britney Reese, who she briefly led before Spanovic's final attempt.

A jump that looked like gold

Spanovic's jump was good. At first glance, it was clear that she had jumped at least 7 meters, so it didn't seem too unlikely that she had managed another 3 centimeters.

The spectators were thrilled

The Serbian had done it, an entire country cheered and the stands applauded a jump that would go down in history. And they weren't wrong. The jump is historic, but it's not a positive note for Spanovic.

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6.91 meters?

It didn't take long for the result of the jump to appear on the screen: 6.91 m. This meant that Ivana Spanovic not only missed the gold medal, but also the other medals, beaten by Russia's Darya Klishina and Tianna Bartoletta from the USA.

How was that possible?

Everyone who followed the competition at the time was stunned. If she was well over 7 meters, how could the jump be considered 6.91 m?

Revealed in slow motion

The slow-motion replay showed exactly what had happened. It was the number attached to her back that threw out the result.

A critical mishap

Spanovic managed a perfect jump, but in mid-flight, one of the safety pins securing her number came loose and the paper touched the ground 10 to 15 centimeters behind where the athlete had originally landed.

Tears

The jumper couldn't believe it. Before she knew what had happened, her angry and disbelieving look disappeared, and she finally burst into tears.

Complaint rejected

Bad luck and a dodgy safety pin had ruined years of work. And despite the Serbian federation's complaint, the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) was strict and stuck with the 6.91 meters.

But it didn't stop there

The worst thing was that the IAAF had already agreed that in 2018, a year later, the numbers on the athletes' jerseys should be removed.

A leap that went down in history

And so it happened that Ivana Spanovic lost a final because of a safety pin. An unfortunate protagonist of a day of competition that has already gone down in long jump history.

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