Oregon 2022: Mutaz Barshim becomes first high jumper to clinch hat-trick of World Championship gold medals

Bengaluru, July 19: Qatar's Mutaz Barshim created history to become the first high jumper to win a hat-trick of World Championship gold medals as he along with Venezuela's triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas hogged limelight on Day 5 of the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022.

With a world leading effort of 2.37M, Barshim put all his rivals to shade and clinched the yellow metal of the marquee event of World Athletics (WA) for the third time in a row.

This follows his victories at the 2017 London and 2019 Doha World Championships.

At the Hayward Field in Eugene, Barshim, who had shared an emotional Olympic gold medal with Gianmarco Tamberi in Tokyo last year, was in a class of his own.

South Korea's Sanghyeok Woo clinched the silver with a jump of 2.35M and Ukraine's Andriy Protsenko won the bronze (2.33M).

Tamberi had a nervous path into the final, twice failing at 2.25M and then twice again at 2.28M in the heats.

In the final, the Italian failed twice at 2.30M, but then clearing 2.33M at the second attempt before bowing out at 2.35M to finish fourth.

The title was just about secure after he had cleared 2.35M but he then eased over 2.37M looking almost in slow motion.

With the gold medal then in the bag he had one attempt at a championship record 2.42M but failed.

Thiam shines

Earlier, Nafissatou Thiam, already a two-time Olympic heptathlon gold medallist, added as many world titles. The Belgian star was put under pressure by Dutch heptathlete Anouk Vetter and went into the final discipline with a 19-point deficit.

But Thiam smashed her 800M personal best by 2sec to reclaim the lead with a final score of 6947. Vetter held on to take silver with 6867, while the USA's Anna Hall capped a remarkable breakthrough year to clinch bronze with a personal best of 6755.

Three for Rojas

Rojas was another athlete who completed a hat-trick of World Championship titles after the Olympic champion jumped 15.47M to win a third straight triple jump crown.

Jamaican Shanieka Ricketts won silver with a best first effort of 14.89M, while America's Tori Franklin took bronze (14.72) the United States' first world medal in the women's event.

Steeplechase almost ends in tragedy

In the 3,000M steeplechase, which was marred by a cameraman standing in the way of runners, Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco came out on top with a deadly late kick in the final 200M, claiming gold in 8min 25.13sec in which India's Avinash Sable finished 11th.

A tragedy was averted in the track when the cameraman, who was filming a different event and had his back to the runners, wandered directly into the path of the pack, forcing them to split apart in a desperate bid to avoid a tangle. Luckily, the runners were spared a fall.

Key decisions

Meanwhile, a number of key decisions were taken at the 228th World Athletics Council Meeting chaired by WA President Sebastian Coe, held on the eve of the the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

With the changed schedule of future World Athletics Relays from odd to even years, starting in 2024, the Council decided that the next edition will serve as Olympic Trials for the relay events.

Story first published: Tuesday, July 19, 2022, 12:22 [IST]

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