An Epic high jump competition.
Gianmarco Tamberi is one of the greatest high jumpers of our time. He is also a character, a showman, an emotional, expressive individual. I was once sitting in a kerbside café in Rome with a friend who lived in Italy. Gimbo walked past, came over, and greeted me. My friend couldn’t believe it. If I were sitting in London and Josh Kerr or Dina Asher-Smith greeted me, would anyone know who they were? Tamberi is a showman and a prankster – like the European Champs in Rome 2024 when he suddenly appeared in shoes with springs on the soles!
I was privileged to be in Tokyo in 2021 when he and Barshim finished joint first and refused a jump-off, settling for a joint gold medal.
If the women’s High Jump in Budapest was a disappointment, with no athlete reaching 2m, the men’s was gripping. Two of the eight athletes could not go beyond 2.17; another’s best was 2.22. Five athletes cleared 2.26, but for three that was their limit. Only Gimbo and JuVaughn Harrison remained. Both cleared 2.30 – Tamberi second attempt; Harrison needed a third. Tamberi cleared 2.33 and 2.35 at the first attempt. Harrison failed once at 2.33, skipped the height, skipped 2.35, failed at 2.37, skipped and failed at 2.39, and it was over. Tamberi cleared 2.37 for the win. He had three failures at 2.41. Tamberi is 34, and it is 10 years since his PR of 2.39.
His personality come across in his comments on the competition: “”It was an amazing night. I came here with great memories from the World Championships in 2023, so I was looking forward to competing here knowing that this is an amazing place to jump. I remember before how much the crowd pushed me to pass my limits, now tonight it was even better, probably the best night of the year. I started the season probably 14th in the world rankings, so this was a real comeback. My career has been very tough because, looking at the ups and downs, I cannot even say which one was the hardest to come back from. After I couldn’t reach the final in Tokyo last year, people started saying it was time for me to retire. It was hard to hear and to fight against all those feelings. Finally, I’m here with 2.37m, maybe the best result over the last nine or 10 years. I’m really proud of myself, my team, my friends, and my family. They were here today to support me. Now I can say to everyone: never stop believing in your dreams; never put a limit on yourself.”
