Qatari high jumper Mutaz Barshim triumphs at Zurich Diamond League meet
Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim put his disappointment of a third-place finish at the Budapest World Championships behind him by roaring to the title at the Zurich Diamond League meet at the Letzigrund Stadium on Thursday.
The high jumper cleared 2.35M to emerge on top at the Weltklasse meeting. It was his second Diamond League win of the season after taking the title at the Silesia meeting in July.
أسطورة ألعاب القوى العالمية معتز برشم يحقق المركز الأول في جولة زيورخ للدوري الماسي في الوثب العالي بإرتفاع 2.35 م.
— Team Qatar (@qatar_olympic) August 31, 2023
Athletics Legend Mutaz Essa Barshim claims first place in Zurich Diamond League meeting with a clearance of 2.35m#كلنا_الأدعم #WeAreTeamQatar pic.twitter.com/wUp9woG0oU
Barshim, who had earlier missed the chance to be crowned as world champion for the fourth time in a row, was in fine nick in Zurich. He pushed New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr (2.33M) and South Korea’s Woo Sanghyeok (2.31M) to second and third places.
Meanwhile, Italy’s reigning world champion Gianmarco Tamberi, with whom Mutaz shared the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold, finished fourth in Zurich. He failed to progress past the 2.28M stage.
Barshim had a smooth start in Zurich, leaping past the 2.15M and 2.20M bars on his first tries. While he took a second attempt to clear 2.24M, he had no such problems in any of his other heights — 2.28M, 2.31M, 2.33M and 2.35M.
برشم يواصل التحليق
— Qatar Athletics Fed (@qatarathletics) September 1, 2023
صدارة .. بجدارة للوثب العالي في منافسات الدوري الماسي لألعاب القوى بعد الفوز بالمركز الأول في جولة زيوريخ @mutazbarshim pic.twitter.com/iQ9TBrWe6X
“I’d some solid jumps today — to jump 2.35 and I’m not the freshest coming from the World Champs. Physically and mentally, I’m a bit tired but I’m proud of myself today,” the 32-year-old said after his victory.
“It felt good and it was a good competition. Last week, it was really hot. But the weather here felt pretty cold. To win one event, it doesn’t mean anything, you need to prove it. That’s sport — sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. So I’m very glad for the win.”
Barshim hoped to perform better in upcoming competitions.
“I really felt like I found something that was missing in my jumps. Now, Eugene is probably on the schedule. But for us, Asian Games is very important too. So I’ll need to talk to my coach first,” he said.
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