Barshim wins third consecutive high jump gold at world championships

Qatar's Mutaz Barshim won an unprecedented third successive world high jump gold in style on Monday as he cleared a world-leading 2.37 metres with ease as all his rivals struggled to get close.Barshim, who famously shared Olympic gold with Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi last year, jumped beautifully all night to go well beyond his own season's best of 2.30m. 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."The target for me for today was gold medal, if even the world record is the only thing I still miss," said Barshim, whose best of 2.43m is second only to Javier Sotomayor's 2.45m set in 1993. "Three worlds golds in a row is something that has never have been done before. I feel like I have a name in our sport, but I have been never felt like the greatest one in the field," added the modest Qatari, who also has two Olympic silvers and a world silver to his name.World indoor champion Woo Sang-hyeok of South Korea needed three attempts to get over 2.33m but then also cleared 2.35m at the second attempt to take silver. Ukraine's Andriy Protsenko collected bronze on the back of his 2.33m clearance.Tamberi had a nervous path into the final, twice failing at 2.25m and then twice again at 2.28m in Friday's heats. In the final he failed twice at 2.30m but then cleared 2.33m at the second attempt before bowing out at 2.35m to finish fourth.After his winning jump, Barshim strutted off the mat, flapping his arms like a bird. It was a fitting celebration for the Qatari legend as elegantly flew over the bar on each of his attempts. In fact, Barshim cleared the bar on his first chance through to the winning height of 2.37m. I know I put a lot of hard work to be where I am,” Barshim declared later. While his jumps seemed effortless, that’s not always how the 2022 season had been for Barshim. After sharing gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games with his friend Tamberi, he struggled to find a rhythm and competed in only two events before the World Championships — failing to surpass the 2.30m mark in either.While he was unable to string together strong performances, he felt healthy leading up to the competition and it showed in his performance. “Defending my Doha title and being recovered after injury is the most amazing thing that could happen to me,” Barshim said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to show jumps and techniques that people like and expect to see from me.”Woo broke on to the scene by setting a national record of 2.35m at the Olympic Games, where he finished fourth. His greatness continued through the indoor season as he won at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. He then jumped 2.30m and topped Barshim at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha in May.On Monday, however, Barhsim got the better of him. After failing his first attempt at 2.37m, Woo elected to pass on the height and save his energy to best Barshim at 2.39m. While the strategy proved unsuccessful, Woo’s silver medal gave his nation its first appearance on the podium. “I am very excited to come out with a medal,” Woo said. “I enjoyed the competition, and I am happy for Barshim to get another gold. I believe I can jump even higher next time.”After failing his third attempt at 2.37m, Protsenko walked off the mat to applause from the Hayward Field crowd. Winning the bronze medal showed that the Ukrainian still had something left in the tank. “I’m the older, the better,” Protsenko said.Entering the World Championships, the 34-year-old’s season's best stood at 2.26m. He stuck it out through a season of uncertainties. Three months ago, Protsenko was unsure if he would make it to Oregon safely after the Russia's war on Ukraine, let alone win a medal. “I managed to take my family from Ukraine and occupied territory,” Protsenko said. “But I left everything in my hometown of Kherson. I took only one bag. That's all I have.”In the qualifying rounds, Protsenko matched Barshim, scaling the bar at 2.28m. On Monday, he improved on that mark, leaping 2.33m on his first attempt — a jump that moved him into the bronze medal position above Tamberi. After sharing the podium with Barshim in Tokyo, Italy's Tamberi struggled with injuries and was unable to surpass the 2.30m mark. “In the end, I am glad I found a way to jump high today, even with the pain,” Tamberi said. “I struggled a lot in qualification, and today it was very difficult for me to find the correct jump.”Shelby McEwen used the momentum he garnered from winning the US Championship in June for Monday’s final. Similar to the US Championships, McEwen outlasted fellow US high jumper JuVaughn Harrison, who didn’t make it past the 2.27m mark. McEwen, however, fell short of a medal. After failing to clear the bar at 2.33m on his first two attempts, he elected to pass his third. He had one chance to jump over 2.35m and failed to do so, ending his World Championships competition in fifth place.