We have probably one of the most beautiful images of these 2021 Olympics. Sunday, the Italian Gianmarco Tamberi and the Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim were both crowned Olympic champions of the height. The two men, who are lifelong friends, had the choice between going into a kind of play-off to designate a single winner or share the gold, they opted for the second option, hugging each other in front of the saltire. .
Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau completes the podium. The three men have all climbed 2.37m, but while Barshim and Tamberi were placed in a perfect tie for the gold medal they edged Belarus on the number of tries.
🤩 Extraordinary high jump outcome! Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi agree to stop the contest: they are both !
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“Sharing this with Marco gives me an amazing feeling, I’m so happy. It’s a dream I don’t want to leave. I went through so much, I waited five years with injuries, flashbacks, ”Barshim said.
Tamberi overjoyed (the word is weak)
The Qatari, double reigning world champion, won a third consecutive Olympic podium at the age of 30, after silver in 2012 and 2016. At 29, Tamberi won his first international outdoor title (he was champion of the indoor world in 2016).
The Italian, drunk with happiness, rolled for a long time on the ground before jumping into the arms of all the athletes who passed near him, until the coronation of his compatriot Lamont Marcell Jacobs in the 100 m. “I just wanted to come back to the top level after my injuries, but to win gold it’s incredible, I dreamed of it so much,” he said. I was told in 2016 just before Rio [grave blessure à une cheville] that there was a risk that I would no longer be able to jump. It has been a long road. “