Barshim scales new heights

Bengaluru, August 14: With a 2.35M leap at the World Championships on Sunday night, high jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim has stamped his mark on sporting history as Qatar won its first gold at this level.

All of 26, Barshim had bagged the silver at Rio Games and was one of the hot favourites to win the yellow metal at London.

At the London Stadium, he lived up to his top reputation in true style. Having qualified without a failure, he won gold with consummate ease and tried clearing 2.40, though in vain, but does not take away the gloss of his phenomenal achievement.

🇶🇦 @mutazbarshim finally gets his World Championships gold🥇. A win at 2.35m for the second best jumper of all-time #BeTheNext highest pic.twitter.com/e5ZsVubXyR
— IAAF World Champs (@IAAFWorldChamps) August 13, 2017

Russian Danil Lysenko, competing as a neutral athlete, took silver with 2.32M while Majd Eddin Ghazal of Syria (2.29) took the bronze.

It was poetic justice in the British capital as afterall, it was in London five years ago at Olympics that Barshim first showed gilmpses of his huge potential when he won the bronze with an effort of 2.29M.

At the 2013 Moscow World Championships, Barshim won a silver, but two years later at Beijing, he dispappointed after falling out of the medal brackets and finishing fourth.

But two years down the line, Barshim has comeback strongly and is coming close to ticking all boxes in his chequered career.

"I was so determined to win it. I was expecting it tonight so I am glad I managed to fulfill my target tonight," said Barshim, whose personal best of 2.43M at the 2014 Brussels Diamond League is the second best jump in history, next only to Cuban Javier Sotomayor's long-standing record of 2.45M set in 1992.

"Let's say, I was recovering last year. I did not want to put too much pressure on myself but now I am back in shape and feel I can go even higher. I do not want to retire one day with the feeling that there is still something left," added Barshim.

The Qatari still has Sotomayor's record in sight and had admitted it before though he has not set any timeframe for it.

"I'm not looking to do something because people are doing something now, but great things take good time to come. I will remain optimistic. You never know, but I hope so, If not this year it does not matter, maybe some time in my career".

After a silver in 2013 Moscow Worlds and a gold at 2016 London, it would be an icing on the cake if Barshim can break Sotomayor's record at home in 2019 at the next World Championships. Over to Doha now!

For the time being he can bask in the glory of being the first Qatari to win a gold medal at the World Championships and his tweet was spot on.

Thank you so much #london 🇬🇧 ! Amazing crowd and bugs support , what a night ! .. always special to be back and jump here 🏅🇶🇦#London2017 pic.twitter.com/zX0nXEQCvO
— معتز برشم ♕Barshim (@mutazbarshim) August 14, 2017