Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim concluded his illustrious Olympic career with a bronze medal, achieving his season’s best jump of 2.34m in the high jump final at Stade de France on Saturday.
New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr secured the gold medal in a jump-off against America’s McEwen Shelby, as both athletes failed to clear the 2.36m mark.
This bronze marks Barshim’s fourth Olympic medal, adding to his silver medals from London 2012 and Rio 2016, and his gold medal from Tokyo 2020. At 33, Barshim, a three-time world champion, aimed to become the first high jumper to win two Olympic gold medals.
He began strongly, clearing 2.22m, 2.27m, 2.31m, and 2.34m on his first attempts. However, he missed two attempts at 2.36m and failed again at 2.38m, settling for bronze. He edged out Italy’s Stefano Sottile, who finished fourth after also clearing 2.34m but was ranked lower on countback. Barshim had announced that Paris would be his final Olympics.
In the jump-off, both Kerr and Shelby struggled with heights of 2.38m and 2.36m, but Kerr claimed victory with a jump of 2.34m.
Meanwhile, there was disappointment for Gianmarco Tamberi, the joint Tokyo 2020 champion, who was hospitalized hours before the final. The Italian, who shared gold with Barshim in Tokyo, struggled with discomfort and failed to clear 2.27m after a successful attempt at 2.22m.
“10 hours have passed and the renal colic still hasn’t gone away,” Tamberi shared on Instagram before the final. “The pain I’ve felt since this morning is nothing compared to what I am feeling inside.”
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