Olympic icons: the heartwarming story of a shared gold medal

Track and field athletes Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim have been close friends for years. They are also fierce rivals, as both are among the world’s best high jumpers.

The 2021 Tokyo Olympic high jump final was highly competitive. Out of 13 athletes, ten cleared 2.30 meters, eight surpassed 2.33 meters, and five men jumped over 2.35 meters. Italian Tamberi and Qatari Barshim were the only ones to clear every height up to 2.35 meters on their first attempt and shared the lead.

The top three was decided at 2.37 meters. Barshim, Tamberi, and Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau cleared it on their first attempts. At the same time, Brandon Starc and South Korean record-holder Woo Sang-hyeok did not.

Starc and Sang-hyeok chose to skip 2.37 meters after their first failed attempt and go for 2.39 meters to have a chance of winning a medal. Both failed, as did Barshim, Tamberi, and Nedasekau, leaving the latter in third place based on attempts.

The official suggested a jump-off between Tamberi and Barshim since the rules could not separate the duo. This would involve each athlete having one attempt at progressively lower heights until one cleared a bar.

However, a 2009 rule change allowed athletes to share a medal if both agreed. Barshim confirmed this with the official, who agreed; the friends looked at each other and decided to share the Olympic gold!

Tamberi’s redemption

Standing on the top step of the podium was significant for both. For Barshim, it was his first Olympic gold, alongside two silvers, while Tamberi earned his first Olympic medal in Tokyo.

Had fate been kinder, Tamberi might have secured an Olympic medal earlier. In 2016, during the Rio Olympics season, he was unbeatable indoors but broke his ankle shortly before flying to Brazil.

Tamberi had to wear a cast but kept it after recovering. He wrote “Road to Tokyo 2020” on it, crossed out the year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and wrote “2021” in red. “I said to myself that day, ‘I want to be back in Tokyo, and I want to fight for the gold medal,'” he recalled to ESPN. And so he did!

Barshim mentioned after the Olympic final that Tamberi is one of his best friends, not only on the track but also outside of it. “We are almost always together,” he said. I appreciate what he’s done; he appreciates what I’ve done. This is amazing.”

Barshim comforted Tamberi

Their friendship began in 2017. At his second competition after returning from injury, the Paris Diamond League, Tamberi no-heighted. Devastated, he retreated to his hotel room and avoided everyone.

The next day, Barshim showed up at his door. “Mutaz started knocking on my room, but he wouldn’t go away,” Tamberi told Spikes magazine. “First, I just wanted him to leave. He persisted and shouted, “Gimbo. Gimbo, please, I want to talk to you.’ ‘So I gave in and let him in.

“We talked. I cried in front of him. He tried to calm me down and told me what he had to say. ‘Don’t try to rush it,’ he kept telling me. ‘You had a big injury, you’re already back in the Diamond League. No one expected that. But now you need to take your time; don’t expect too much too early from yourself. Just see what happens.'”

Tamberi recalled that his injury affected him for several seasons: he feared jumping for two years. Physically, he regained his shape, but mentally, he struggled, which impacted his jumping technique and made it difficult for him to shine again.

With the help of his coach and father, Marco, Tamberi managed to get his mind back on track. He was also inspired by Barshim, who won the world championship in Doha in 2019 after recovering from the same injury. “I was so happy for him,” Tamberi said. “His victory motivated me.”

Who will prevail in Paris?

Before the Tokyo final, Barshim and Tamberi joked that sharing the gold in Japan would be great. They might entertain the same thought before the Paris Games, where the high jump qualifying round will be on August 7 and the final on August 10.

Tamberi and Barshim can make history in France, as there has never been a male high jumper with two Olympic golds. The athletes with the most medals —Barshim and Patrik Sjöberg — have three. Barshim is considered the most successful male high jumper in Olympic history, as he has a gold medal and the Swede doesn’t.

However, questions still need to be answered about their current form. Barshim has only competed in four events this year, clearing a maximum of 2.31 meters. On July 20, he withdrew from the London Diamond League event because the run-up area was too short.

Tamberi has been battling injuries again this year but was crowned European champion in Rome in June. His 2.37-meter jump is the world’s best this season, and he set a new European Championship record.

Three weeks ago, Tamberi suffered a setback with a thigh injury. Although not severe, it forced him to miss at least a week of training.

Yet both Barshim and Tamberi have repeatedly proven that while challenges may trouble them, they do not break them. The friends will undoubtedly push each other to jump as high as possible.

And who knows, they may also stand together on the podium in Paris.