Updated August 2nd, 2021 at 12:26 IST
Tokyo Olympics: High jumpers from Qatar & Italy share medal, ask ‘can we have 2 golds?'
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy shared a gold medal in the men's high jump at the Tokyo Olympics, emotional video goes viral
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In what is a rare moment in the Olympics, Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy shared a gold medal in the men's high jump at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. The Qatar, Italy high jump finalists chose against having a jump-off for gold and decided to share the top medal. The two athletes received heaps of praises for their sportsmanship towards one another. The video of the decision being taken has since gone viral on the internet.
High jump players share gold at Tokyo Olympics
All three medallists cleared the 2.37-meter mark in the final only to have a tie for the top spot after Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus settled for bronze due to having more failed attempts than the rest. Neither Qatar’s Barshim nor Italy’s Tamberi had a failed attempt until 2.39 meters, which is the Olympic record. Following their failed attempts, the athletes were offered to have jump-off to determine gold. However, even before the official had finished explaining the rules, Barshim asked if they could have a tie.
"Can we have two golds?" the Qatari athlete asked, to which the official responded positively. Following this, Tamberi leapt into the arms of a beaming Barshim, who made the call first to share the medal. The emotional video of the two athletes sharing a sweet moment of sportsmanship went viral since then. The medal was of great importance to both athletes as Barshim, 30, added the gold to his 2012 bronze and a silver in 2016, while, Tamberi missed out on the 2016 Rio Games due to a serious left ankle injury that required surgery. The two athletes are known to share a great bond as it was Tamberi who helped Barshim get through an injury he suffered before the Tokyo Olympics.
Netizens react to the high jump share gold
After the video of the two athletes deciding on the medal surfaced online, the same was shared by fans and other athletes alike. While some netizens called it the, "Best moment of the Games so far,” a few others adored the athletes for the “absolute class” gesture. Here’s how the netizens reacted to the duo winning gold:
The moment that Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim decided that they'd share the gold medal in the high jump. #Athletics #Olympics pic.twitter.com/DJCPNmvxHu
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 1, 2021
Wow. What a moment of elation. Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi have agreed to share the gold medal in the high jump.
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) August 1, 2021
They did not have any misses through 2.37m. No jump-off. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/WuX3RD4r5d
Best moment of the Games so far. An ‘anti-games’ moment.
— Sympathies...💙 (@CantWeDoBetter) August 1, 2021
Perhaps we’re all too stressed these days for the old ‘winner takes all’ ideology to survive.
Mutaz Essa Barshim: “Two is better than one, you know?”
— arianna (@fetfruners) August 1, 2021
(He won with Gianmarco Tamberi)
Yes, yes it’s better! 🥇🥇🙏🏻♥️#Gold #Olympics #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/Vw4yCgwKKG
Sundays be like:
— Sourav Chatterjee (@Ezkladozthered) August 1, 2021
—"Can we have two?"
—"It is possible, if you decide..."
Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim decide to share their Gold Medal in Men's High Jump. ❤️✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/ffWZYyWU9z
IMAGE: AP/ TWITTER
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Published August 2nd, 2021 at 12:26 IST
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