Instinct. Brilliance. Preparation. Magic. Furlani visualizes the moment. He shakes off negativity, clears away looming doubts, and sets his personal wind tunnel in motion. Then, he takes off. He flies. At Tokyo’s National Stadium, time seems to stop. The long jump, in all its blinding, kinetic purity, unfolds before a stunned audience. Then comes the landing. Then the measurement. 8.39. World Champion.

If Tokyo is a city that constantly peers into the future, then on one sublime September night, this 20-year-old, the son and brother of athletes, became its cultural extension, or perhaps its ideal sporting expression. In the shape of his flight lies everything track and field strives for, yet rarely achieves: raw ability and infinite potential, a rich family heritage and deep, authentic passion. Above all, an ethic: the discipline to match the gift. It takes all of that to become the youngest World Champion in the history of the event, and the first Italian man ever to win gold in the long jump: a dream that, for decades, had felt just beyond reach. And it takes just as much to stay grounded: to remain true to yourself, even after leaping farther than anyone else on Earth.

With this adidas athlete, an Italian icon who feels both in the making and already fully realized, we examined a career-defining moment still in its earliest chapter. A jump that won’t just live in memory, but will mark a permanent before-and-after in the timeline of Italian sport, and beyond.

Looking back at your earliest steps in track and field, as well as the deep-rooted athletic culture within your family, what memories and emotions fed into that 8.39 leap — beyond the pure euphoria of the result itself?

“One of the very first memories I have, one that stayed with me over the years, was recently shared again by my mother, and I think it’s a beautiful one. It was when my sister Erika competed at the Silver Gala, just before the Golden Gala. The stadium was completely empty. I was eight years old, sitting with my mom, holding a bag of popcorn, watching her competing. And I remember thinking, “I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to compete in a stadium like this.” That moment stayed with me: my eyes were sparkling as I watched athletics at that level. Now, living and competing in those contexts feels completely different from how I imagined it back then. Maybe even more beautiful. Those moments shaped me. And it was thanks to Erika, and the chance to watch her grow as an athlete, that my passion for this sport deepened over time.”

At just 20 years old, you’re a World Champion — a milestone in your career and a title no one will ever take from you. But it’s also a historic feat for Italian sport. How meaningful is it to have written a new chapter in Italian athletics, and the youngest ever to do so on the global stage?

“It means a lot, especially because I’m still a huge fan of the sport myself. Hearing my name mentioned alongside some of the greats in this discipline really hits differently. It’s an incredible feeling, because I worked hard for this… We made it happen. Now the goal is simply to keep improving and let time take care of the rest.”

After realizing you had won gold, you said, “Something magical happened.” What did it feel like to breathe in that magic, to live inside it, in the National Stadium in Tokyo? And during the competition itself, did you sense — physically or mentally — that you were part of something extraordinary?

“Yes and no. Training matters, preparation matters, but at events like a World Championship, you also need something more. A mix of elements has to come together. A bit of magic too. In that final, something magical really did happen. My first jumps were a struggle. But then came that one jump: the perfect one. That moment just… Clicked. And without that kind of spark, honestly, I don’t think it would have been possible. That magic made everything even more unforgettable.”

“I do what I love.” You’ve described your relationship with long jump in these simple, powerful words. What does the act of jump and flight itself represent, especially when it captivates millions of spectators around the world, as it did in Tokyo?

“It’s an incredible feeling. The flight is my favorite part. People often ask me what I think about mid-air, during the jump. And the answer is actually very simple: nothing. You work so much on refining every movement, repeating the mechanics over and over in training, until the day arrives… And then it all happens on autopilot. You just let your body do what it knows. So on one hand, the sensation is fantastic, but on the other, it’s also deeply automatic.”

Even before becoming World Champion, you had already emerged as a national icon thanks to your early accomplishments. After this feat, celebrated across Italy, what kind of figure do you hope to become for your country? And what does it mean to have a partner like adidas — a brand that is both culturally driven and forward-looking — by your side as you grow, both as an athlete and a person?

“I want to be a flag-bearer for sport: someone who raises the name of Italy, but also a voice for determination and for belief in your dreams. Not just in sport, but in life. That, to me, is even more important: to be a universal message. One that reaches people who may not be able to practice at the highest level this sport, or any discipline they love. People who dream when they see athletes like me. My relationship with adidas means a lot, because they’re supporting incredible projects beyond just performance: things like environmental advocacy and much more. It’s a brand I’m genuinely proud to represent. It lets me walk with my head held high.”