Antonios Merlos

Antonios Merlos
Personal information
Born (1999-04-04) 4 April 1999
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
High jump
Achievements and titles
Personal bestHigh jump: 2.27 m (2026)
Medal record
Representing  Greece
World U20 Championships
2018 Tampere High jump
European Youth Championships
2016 Tbilisi High jump

Antonios Merlos (born 4 April 1999) is a Greek high jumper. He is a multiple-time national champion and won the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships.[1]

Biography

A footballer in his youth, Merlos was directed towards athletics in 2013 after coaches noted his ability in vertical leaps on the football field. Merlos made his international debut at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Tbilisi in 2015, where he was third overall with a best clearance of 2.06 metres.[2] Merlos won the silver medal in Tbilisi at the 2016 European Athletics U18 Championships.[3] In 2017, Merlos improved his personal best to 2.20m to win the Greek U20 national title. That year, he moved to the United States, enrolling at the University of Georgia on a four-year scholarship, where he worked under Cypriot coach Petros Kyprianou.[2] In June 2018, he jumped 2.18m to finish fifth at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[2] That summer, he won the gold medal at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, agreeing to share the gold medal with Roberto Vilches of Mexico after both cleared 2.23m at their first attempt, and could not be separated on countback.[4][5][2]

In August 2020, he won his first outdoor senior title at the Greek Athletics Championships.[6] He won the title again in 2023.[7] In September 2020, he improved his personal best to 2.24 metres competing at the Gala dei Castelli in Bellinzona, Switzerland.[8] He competed for Greece at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, without advancing to the final.[9]

In 2025, Merlos moved from his base in Thessaloniki to Athens to work at PAOK under coach Thodoris Dosis.[10] Merlos competed at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands without qualifying to the final.[11] He also competed for Greece at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships in Madrid in June 2025, jumping 2.21 metres.[12] He won the Greek national title again in August 2025.[13]

In January 2026, Merlos cleared a lifetime best height of 2.27m for victory in the high jump at the Gorzow Jump Festival, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting.[14] He placed eighth overall at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland in March 2026.[15]

Competition record

Representing  Greece
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
2025 European Ιndoor Championships Apeldoorn, Netherlands 13th (q) 2.18 m
2026 World Indoor Championships Torun, Poland 8th 2.22 m

References

  1. ^ "Antonios Merlos". World Athletics. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Merlos and Vilches: 11,000 kilometres apart, but inseparable in Tampere". World Athletics. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  3. ^ "Tbilisi European U18 Championships". World Athletics. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  4. ^ "Report: men's high jump – IAAF World U20 Championships Tampere 2018". World Athletics. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  5. ^ "IAAF World U20 Championships". World Athletics. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  6. ^ "Greek Championships". World Athletics. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  7. ^ "Greek Championships". World Athletics. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  8. ^ "Gala dei Castelli". World Athletics. 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  9. ^ "Rome 2024: Antonis Merlos 14th in the height qualifier with 2.17". irunmag.gr. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  10. ^ "Greek High Jumper Merlos Delivers Breakthrough Performance". Greek City Times. 1 Feb 2026. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  11. ^ "European Athletics Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  12. ^ "European Athletics Team Championships First Division". World Athletics. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  13. ^ "Greek Championships". World Athletics. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  14. ^ Mills, Steven (1 Feb 2026). "A 46-year-old Polish record broken! Matuszewicz jump 6.77m in Gorzow". European Athletics. Retrieved 2 Feb 2026.
  15. ^ "World Athletics Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
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