When international athletics returns to the Helmut-Körnig-Halle on Sunday, February 8, 2026, there will be a new feature at the Sparkassen Indoor Meeting Dortmund: the men's long jump will be held for the first time in the meeting program – and the premiere will be filled with international quality.
Max Hess (LAC Erdgas Chemnitz) will provide a special sparkle. The Chemnitz native is the 2016 European triple jump champion and won silver at the Indoor World Championships in the same year – an athlete with extensive championship experience and international title credentials. In Dortmund, Max Hess will compete in the long jump and, with a personal best of 8.03 meters, he will also demonstrate his versatility.
The field will be led by Luka Herden (LG Brillux Münster). The 25-year-old broke the eight-meter mark for the first time in 2023 with a jump of 8.14 meters. At the 2024 European Championships in Rome, Herden confirmed his class by finishing eighth in the final. This year, he won bronze at the FISU World University Games in Bochum and bronze at the German Championships in Dresden.
Simon Plitzko (TSG Bergedorf) also made a real mark recently: the Hamburg native finished fifth at the 2024 U20 World Championships and jumped 8.00 meters for the first time in the summer of 2025, winning the title at the German U23 Championships – a distance that catapulted him to the top of the national rankings.
Internationally, Henrik Flåtnes (Norway) is a name synonymous with great distances. The Scandinavian became U23 European champion two years ago and finished sixth at the 2022 European Championships in Munich. He has also won 15 national titles in the long jump and triple jump. Kasperi Vehmaa (Finland) also arrives with a medal haul: He won the bronze medal at the U23 European Championships this year and is also a two-time Finnish indoor champion.
From a German perspective, Kevin Brucha (TLV Germania Überruhr) completes the top six: At the 2025 German Championships, he jumped 7.79 meters to win the silver medal, confirming his progress toward the eight-meter mark. Other international challengers such as Danylo Dubyna (Ukraine, 7.95 m), Ukrainian champion in 2024, and Maxime Lapeyrie (France, 7.88 m) will ensure that every attempt counts in the qualifying round.
“With the men's long jump, we will be celebrating a premiere in Dortmund in 2026 – and we will be doing so with a field that brings international experience, title holders, and a great deal of quality,” says Yoshi Müller, head of organization for the Sparkassen Indoor Meeting.
Tickets for the Sparkassen Indoor Meeting Dortmund 2026 are available online at www.reservix.de and at all advance sales outlets connected to the Reservix system. Standing room tickets are available from 10 euros, and seats in two categories are available for 20 and 30 euros respectively.
Men's long jump with European champion Max Hess and top international field
