London World Championships: Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim eyes world record

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Bengaluru, July 29: As a five-member Qatar contingent heads to London for the World Athletics Championships, all eyes will be on star high-jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim. The Rio Games silver-medallist, who has a personal best of 2.43M has been eyeing the long-standing record of 2.45 set by Cuban Javier Sotomayor in 1992.

Barshim has come close to breaking Sotomayor's record many times. Asked, if he could break the world record at the London Worlds, the Asian record holder said, "I have to and I don't like to doubt myself. I have to believe that I can break the world record, because if you don't have belief, it means it doesn't exist."

Barshim first shot to fame at the 2012 London Olympics where he won a bronze with an effort of 2.29M. He then had his personal best of 2.43 at the Brussels Diamond League in 2014.

Since then the focus has turned as to when Qatar's baby-faced assassin will erase Sotomayor's 25-year record.

"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," Barshim added.

The 26-year-old's form ahead of the World Championships has been good. He won gold at the Diamond League meets in Doha, Shanghai, Oslo and Paris.

A World Championships gold has eluded him all the time with the 2013 silver medal at Moscow being his best at the IAAF's biennial event.

A gold medal at London with a record would be the icing on the cake in Barshim's career and he was quick to admit that: "Yeah, the World Championships is the main target. My goal is gold in London," he concluded.

OneIndia News