Germany’s Malaika Mihambo will defend her long jump title at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on February 8, 2026. The event is the fifth World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet of the season.
Mihambo, the 31-year-old Olympic and world champion, matched her indoor personal best when she won this year’s competition with a jump of 7.07 meters. That mark broke a meeting record that had stood for 31 years.
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This year, the German will be aiming for a similar performance as against what is shaping up to be a solid field.
Strong Field Features Two Other Seven-Meter Jumpers
Mihambo will face Italy’s Larissa Iapichino and France’s Hilary Kpatcha, both of whom have also jumped beyond seven meters.
Iapichino recorded 7.06 meters earlier this year during the outdoor campaign and placed fourth at the Paris Olympics. She owns an indoor personal best of 6.97m, set in 2023.
Kpatcha achieved her personal best of 7.02 meters this year and finished fourth at the World Championships in Tokyo, where Mihambo earned silver.
The 27-year-old Kpatcha reached the Olympic final in 2024 before her fourth-place finish at the 2025 World Championships.
“I’m incredibly excited to be competing in Karlsruhe,” said Mihambo. “The meet has been a fixture of my indoor season for many years. The crowd is fantastic, and because I’m from the region, the competition always feels a bit like home.”
Mihambo has won two world titles in the long jump (2019 and 2022) and captured Olympic gold in 2021. She also holds two European outdoor championships (2018 and 2024).
Iapichino Returns to Familiar Venue
The 23-year-old Iapichino has a history with the Karlsruhe meet, having competed there as a junior athlete in 2020. She won the European indoor long jump title in 2025 and has collected two European outdoor silver medals.
“I’m very happy to be back in Karlsruhe, as I gained my first international experience here as a junior athlete in 2020,” said Iapichino.
“I hope I can enjoy it even more this time and thrill the audience. It’s definitely great to compete against Malaika again, as we have a very good relationship.”
