Madrid - Doubts have been raised in Spain about the stunning 8.71 metres long jump by unheralded German Sebastian Bayer at last weekend's European indoor championships in Turin, Italy.

News reports on Wednesday quoted Spanish athletics chief Jose Maria Odriozola as saying that one judge may have made a wrong measurement.

"I have the feeling that - apart from the advantage of the run-up track - a measuring error occurred," Odriozola said.

The official said that he was close to the long jump pit and said that one judge "had been measuring wrongly all day."

Bayer stunned the athletics world when he raised his personal best by a massive 54cm to the European indoor record 8.71m. The record was formerly owned by Spain's Yago Lamego at 8.56m.

The jump was just eight centimetres shy of Carl Lewis' indoor world record of 8.79m and reminded many of Bob Beamon's 8.90m at the 1968 Olympics. Bayer attributed the huge leap to "a perfect jump" and the favourable run-up track.

Lamela was uncertain whether he may have lost the record due to an error.

"Sometimes wrong measurement occur. But normally a second measurement takes place in the case of a record," Lamela said. (dpa)