“We can not program anything with certainty, we first fight against rivals more than against a height”, professed Mutaz Barshim in the spring. The Qatari high jumper could not have better described the scenario of the Olympic final beforehand. Sunday 1er August, if the double world champion became the first Qatari to be crowned Olympic champion – after winning bronze in London and silver in Rio – Barshim shares Olympus with Italian Gianmarco Tamberi. A gold medal of sharing, chosen by the two athletes.
At the end of a high-flying competition, having seen the two men erase each bar on the first try, and the competition raging for the podium, Barshim, Tamberi and Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau found themselves alone to pass 2.37 meters. All failing at the next level – the Olympic record – the Qatari and the Italian secured the first two places in the number of tries. All that remained was to decide between them.
“Together, it’s better than alone”
“No one has decided. I looked at him, he looked at me, we understood, describes Mutaz Barshim. The guy [de l’organisation] was trying to explain our options to us, but what for? “ Friends for eleven years, the two men had the choice between designating a single winner in a mini-tournament, or sharing the top step of the podium.
Without saying a word, the Italian and the Qatari fall into each other’s arms. “It’s been three hours since we launched the competition, it was good. Together, it’s better than alone ”, continues Barshim, sincerely happy to have one of his best friends “And not only on the circuit” at his side at the top. Inseparable, arm in arm, they toured the TVs together, before the Italian returned to scream his joy in a deserted stadium.
? Extraordinary high jump outcome! Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi agree to stop… https://t.co/X87jlBEsdQ
Seen from the outside, little links the Qatari of Sudanese origin (his grandfather emigrated to the emirate) and the exuberant Italian, able to shave half of his beard before a contest. Otherwise the love of high jump. “The first time I saw this guy was eleven years ago at the World Junior Championships in Edmonton. [Canada], relates Barshim. I was like ‘who is this guy? He is crazy !” “
And quickly, the two men sympathize, to the point that the Italian is invited to the wedding of his “brother” from the Gulf. Both went through similar ordeals. “We had the same injuries, which took us away from the slopes for a long time, evokes Qatari. It was so bad that we even imagined that we would never be able to start jumping again. ”
Two golden ghosts
Gianmarco Tamberi took center stage in 2016. Sacred indoor world champion, then European outdoor champion, the fantastic Italian jumper – known for his hair pranks and his enthusiasm to involve the public – had known a serious injury preventing him from defending his chances at the Olympic Games in Rio. A partial ankle injury that prevented him from returning to the highest level before 2019.
Sunday, before his final attempt at 2.39 m, which could have crowned him the only Olympic champion, Gianmarco Tamberi placed a plaster on the track, a way to permanently erase the episode. Above it was written “Road to Tokyo”, followed by “2020”, crossed out, and replaced by “2021”. “I was told that there was a risk that I would no longer be able to jump. It’s been a long road, savored the Transalpine, after having rolled with happiness on the track at the end of the competition. Winning gold is incredible, I dreamed of it so much. “
“I went through so much (…) to finally be Olympic champion, in all humility, I must admit that I am proud of myself” (Mutaz Barshim)
Double reigning world champion – his coronation, in Doha in 2019, was celebrated by a jubilant Qatar – Mutaz Barshim was also seriously injured in the ankle, after his failure to conquer the title at the Olympic Games in Rio. “I went through so much, I waited five years with injuries, flashbacks, to finally be Olympic champion, in all humility, I must admit that I am proud of myself”, he smiled.
Bar after bar, Barshim pushes his limits. And if he did not manage, Sunday, to cross 2.39 m, the first Qatari crowned Olympic champion keeps in a corner of the head the world record of Cuban Javier Sotomayor (2.45 m): 2.43 m in 2014, it is not that far away.
But before that, Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim have a double gold medal to celebrate. “Together, of course”, blows the second. Ecstatic, his friend is still in the stadium, more than an hour later, shouting his happiness. “We’re both crazy in our own way, Barshim concludes. Who knows, if it is, we will celebrate this title for a year. “