Tokyo Olympics 2021: High jump athletes decide to share gold medal in remarkable show of sportsmanship

Sometimes, sportsmanship is bigger than winning, but, in the men's high jump final, two athletes made the remarkable decision to share gold. Here's how it happened.

Mutaz Essa Barshim Gianmarco Tamberi decided to share the high jump gold medal. Picture: AFP

In what is set to become one of the iconic moments of the Tokyo Games, Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi shared high jump gold in a remarkable show of sportsmanship.

Barshim and Tamberi each recorded a best clearance of 2.37 metres and, given the choice of a playoff or sharing the title, the two men hugged it out on the track.

Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus also cleared the same height to set a national record, but missed out on a share of the gold due to an earlier failure.

For Barshim, 30, it completes a full house of Olympic medals having taken bronze in London in 2012 and silver in Rio five years ago and adds to his world title in the event.

#OlympicGames High Jump Gold Medal being shared by friends who have supported each other throughout the journey, Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi, is simply amazing

— Steve E (@SteveEdwardsJA) August 1, 2021

What a beautiful ending for men high jump finals. A great sporting spirit #Olympics well done #ita & #qat

— 🇲🇾 Himura 🇲🇾Kenshin 🇲🇾 (@sarahsuhana) August 1, 2021

Those two guys who shared the high jump gold need a buddy travel show, going around the world and being kind and jumping over things

— Doug Mack (@douglasmack) August 1, 2021

Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi. #Olympics #HighJump pic.twitter.com/kKNDz4upjc

— SirJohnCard (@SirJohnCard) August 1, 2021

He missed a large part of 2018 with a serious ankle injury, bouncing back to win world outdoor gold on home soil in 2019.

“This is a dream I don’t want to wake up from,” Barshim said.

“I have been through a lot. It’s been five years that I have been waiting, with injuries and a lot of setbacks.

“But we are here today sharing this moment and all the sacrifices.

“It’s really worth it now in this moment.”

Mutaz Essa Barshim Gianmarco Tamberi decided to share the high jump gold medal. Picture: AFP

Tamberi added Olympic gold to a world indoor and a European title, both in 2016, and celebrated exuberantly, despite the absence of spectators at this pandemic-affected Games.

The long-haired 29-year-old collapsed to the ground and rolled around in ecstasy.

He recovered his composure briefly before launching into more histrionics when his compatriot Lamont Marcell Jacobs stunned the sprinting world by winning the Olympic 100 metres title.

This had me in tears.
Not joking.

Right before doing last jump, and then after winning high jump, Gimbo Tamberi placed on track the plaster cast he saved since 2016 when he broke his leg 15 days before Rio2016.

Climbing. Falling. Rising back.

It’s Italy 2021 pic.twitter.com/yKsbp7deT1

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) August 1, 2021

His emotional celebrations were understandable given he had suffered a serious Achilles’ tendon injury weeks away from the 2016 Games which has seen him perform in a plaster cast.

“After my injuries I just wanted to come back, but now I have this gold, it’s incredible,” he said.

“I dreamed of this so many times.

“I was told in 2016, just before Rio, there was a risk I wouldn’t be able to compete any more.

"It’s been a long journey.”

Recap all the day 9 action in our blog below!

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: High jump athletes decide to share gold medal in remarkable show of sportsmanship

Updates