Vinay Nayudu
Doha
Legendary Qatari athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim provided his nation with yet another medal at the Olympics as he claimed the men’s high jump bronze at the Paris 2024 Games on Saturday.
It was the 33-year-old’s unprecedented fourth medal at successive Olympics since 2012. More importantly, this time his podium place ensured that Qatar was once again among the medals at the greatest sporting extravaganza on earth.
Hamish Kerr of New Zealand beat American Shelby McEwan in a jump-off to give New Zealand a first ever Olympic high jump gold.
It was a memorable Olympic swansong for Barshim, clearly Qatar’s greatest athlete who earlier won gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Barshim also has three titles at the World Athletics Championships besides Asian Games gold and multiple other global medals to his name.
In high jump he has been the second-most decorated athlete behind the world record holder Cuban Javier Sotomayor.
Just prior to the Paris Olympics, Barshim had said, “It’s always easier said than done. How to stay dedicated – hard work, dedication and patience. And the better you are, the more difficult it gets because there is a lot of temptation… I don’t need to be jumping – you know, I can go out and do something easy, for example, and make the same amount of money. Or, I can go and do something, film something, and take my family on vacation. I don’t need to be struggling.
“At this moment, in my career now, I’ve done so much. So, this Olympics to me is all about legacy.”
And he indeed has left a legacy as an icon who will be followed as a role model by the new generations.
At Stade de France, Barshim seemed to be in good stead as he began his participation with both elan and poise clearing 2.24, 2.27, 2.31, and 2.34 (his season’s best) heights on first attempts. Until then, it seemed the Qatari was well on his way to topping the event.
But with the gauntlet thrown, USA’s Shelby McEwen then went for 2.36m and succeeded in his very first jump at that. Interestingly, McEwen too could not succeed any other jump after that.
Barshim twice stumbled on 2.36 before raising the bar to 2.38m unsuccessfully.
New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr eventually went on to beat McEwen in a jump-off to give his country a first ever Olympic high jump gold, with no shared gold this time around.
Both cleared 2.36 metres, a personal best for McEwan, before failing on 2.38m. They then missed once more over 2.38m before the bar was lowered to 2.36m which they also missed.
Down to 2.34, McEwen failed again but Kerr sailed over to add the Olympic gold to his world indoor title from earlier in the year.
Barshim got bronze with 2.34m, on countback against Italy’s Stefano Sottile, for his fourth Olympic medal as he showed no signs of a calf problem that had bothered him in qualifying.
Barshim had famously shared the Tokyo 2020 gold with another Italian, world champion Gianmarco Tamberi.
Tamberi had to settle for 11th, after saying he was back in hospital early in the day with kidney problems. But he still decided to compete.
Both Barshim and Tamberi have been friends and fierce competitors alike and both have had a contrasting at Paris 2024 but Barshim made it a point to hug Italian as he bowed out while the Qatari’s jumps were still on.
Barshim’s dedication to himself and his sport can be gauged from how he himself had summarized what it takes. “Imagine you are the best in the world, you are the Olympic champion, but I still lock myself in a room somewhere in a mountain with two people for like one or two months. I don’t need to be doing that, but I know that’s very important for me. I need to feel that struggle.
“To me, high jump is a lifestyle, you know, and I’m really glad that it transitioned to become my professional career that I really love and enjoy. That’s why, whenever it gets hard, I’ll always find a way because for me, it’s a natural love to it. It’s my way of expressing myself.”
And Barshim did express himself at four Olympics and many other stage like only a sterling athlete could!
