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TNN/Agencies
Tokyo
In what was one of the great men’s high jump contests at the Olympic stadium for Tokyo 2020 Games on Sunday, Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim added Olympic gold to his list of accolades and also ensured that his friend and rival Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi too could share the gold with him.
This, of course, came after the two stood out as champions. Both Barshim, 30, and the 29-year-old Tamberi ended with jumps of 2.37 metres and had no failed attempts until they attempted to clear 2.39.
After three failures each at that height, an Olympic official first offered them a jump-off to decide the winner.
“Can we have two golds?”, Barshim asked him.
The official nodded, and the two athletes clasped hands and jumped with great delight.
Among the first to congratulate him was Tamberi, still celebrating the gold he shared with world champion Barshim after both declined the jump-off in an extraordinary act of sportsmanship agreed.
Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus took bronze, also with 2.37, in a final which saw seven men over 2.33m.
“To share it with Marco is an amazing feeling. It is a great feeling. I’m really happy,” said Barshim.
“I look at him, he looks at me, and we know it. We just look at each other and we know, that is it, it is done. There is no need,” Barshim added.
“He is one of my best friends, not only on the track, but outside the track. We work together. This is a dream come true. It is the true spirit, the sportsman spirit, and we are here delivering this message.”
This was the third Olympic medal for Barshim who won bronze, later upgraded to silver, at the London 2012 Games and later picked up another silver in Rio four years later and then won two successive world titles in 2017 and 2019.
His personal best of 2.43m is the second-highest jump of all time, behind Cuban Javier Sotomayor’s world record mark of 2.45 set in 1993.
Speaking after celebrating the triumph with HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Team Qatar and Qatar Olympic Committee officials, Barshim said, “If this is a dream, I do not want to wake up from it.”
He added: “My feeling is indescribable. To win the gold medal we have worked hard during the past five years, despite facing many challenges such as injuries and the coronavirus pandemic.
He thanked His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, His Highness The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalia Al Thani for their support and encouragement for the golden success.
Tokyo
In what was one of the great men’s high jump contests at the Olympic stadium for Tokyo 2020 Games on Sunday, Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim added Olympic gold to his list of accolades and also ensured that his friend and rival Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi too could share the gold with him.
This, of course, came after the two stood out as champions. Both Barshim, 30, and the 29-year-old Tamberi ended with jumps of 2.37 metres and had no failed attempts until they attempted to clear 2.39.
After three failures each at that height, an Olympic official first offered them a jump-off to decide the winner.
“Can we have two golds?”, Barshim asked him.
The official nodded, and the two athletes clasped hands and jumped with great delight.
Among the first to congratulate him was Tamberi, still celebrating the gold he shared with world champion Barshim after both declined the jump-off in an extraordinary act of sportsmanship agreed.
Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus took bronze, also with 2.37, in a final which saw seven men over 2.33m.
“To share it with Marco is an amazing feeling. It is a great feeling. I’m really happy,” said Barshim.
“I look at him, he looks at me, and we know it. We just look at each other and we know, that is it, it is done. There is no need,” Barshim added.
“He is one of my best friends, not only on the track, but outside the track. We work together. This is a dream come true. It is the true spirit, the sportsman spirit, and we are here delivering this message.”
This was the third Olympic medal for Barshim who won bronze, later upgraded to silver, at the London 2012 Games and later picked up another silver in Rio four years later and then won two successive world titles in 2017 and 2019.
His personal best of 2.43m is the second-highest jump of all time, behind Cuban Javier Sotomayor’s world record mark of 2.45 set in 1993.
Speaking after celebrating the triumph with HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Team Qatar and Qatar Olympic Committee officials, Barshim said, “If this is a dream, I do not want to wake up from it.”
He added: “My feeling is indescribable. To win the gold medal we have worked hard during the past five years, despite facing many challenges such as injuries and the coronavirus pandemic.
He thanked His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, His Highness The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalia Al Thani for their support and encouragement for the golden success.
