Athletics, Tamberi and Barshim: ‘Our gold in Tokyo like the Mona Lisa, unrepeatable’

by our correspondent Simone Battaggia

October 15th
– TRENT

“Let’s jump onto the world”: the Sports Festival ends with a high-level meeting, that of Gianmarco Tamberi with Mutaz Barshim. Two men who the world unites because of the Olympic gold they shared at Tokyo 2020, that handshake and that hug after deciding that this was enough, that there was no point in playing off after both had stopped at 2.37 at the end of two sets of six jumps without errors. The direction shows that historical moment and triggers a very warm applause. Then the two begin to explain why that story, and their friendship, began so long ago.

The early days

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“Mutaz and I met in 2010, at the Junior World Championships in Moncton – begins Tamberi -. I had started a year ago, he was already a legend.” “The first memory of this madman next to me – attacks Barshim – is of him coming towards me and hugging me, telling me “Mutaz, great!”. “Do we know each other?”. “No, but you are my idol.” Well, he has never changed since then, he has the same personality.” Could double gold be possible with others? “No – continues Gimbo -. It’s not just about sharing a gold, but it depends on what happened before. We are both competitive, in 2016 and 2018 he and I had very serious injuries, we were both jumping at our maximum and we hurt ourselves in a way that seemed impossible to come back from. We were both in a dark corner. For months we went to the doctors more than to the stadium. So in Tokyo, I knew that both he and I didn’t deserve silver, for everything that had happened, for our history, our families, our countries. Neither deserved to go home with the silver.” Would the two share the gold of Paris? “That moment was so unique, that to do it again would also ruin the past. We would like it to remain unique” says Tamberi. “There is something in life that cannot be replicated – adds Barshim -. You can’t create a new Mona Lisa, there’s only one.”

What a bond

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Tamberi goes back to 2016 and his toe injury in Montecarlo, a few weeks before Rio. “I don’t think I’ll forget, it’s impossible – says the man from the Marche -. It was very hard and if I succeeded it was also thanks to Mutaz. In fact, he doesn’t even know how much. I changed my life to win again, and when I returned after a year, on the platform, and got back into the game, that day of returning to Paris I had an enormous emotion. I entered the race at 2.15. He missed it easily, then they gave me the claque, everyone was very nice: I missed the first attempt, I missed the second. That day I was devastated, I thought I had thrown away a year. I walked around Paris alone, I didn’t answer the phone, I didn’t open the door to anyone in my room. Then came Barshim. “Please Gimbo, I need to talk to you, open up for me.” And so I opened it to him. Maybe subconsciously I knew that he was the person who could turn the situation around. “You can fly again, you just have to understand that you don’t have to do it for others, you have to do it for yourself”. And it was very true. I remembered people’s empathy after the injury the year before, I felt obliged to give something back to Italy, that I was worth that affection. But Barshim reminded me of the sleepless nights, the nightmares, the days working at training. “In those days you were alone, the others weren’t there.” That day Barshim was my mother, and if those words had been said to me by someone else they would not have had the same effect. However, the next race I missed 2.28”.

When it was Barshim’s turn

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Tamberi adds another piece of the story. “We are not to blame if that is the regulation. If someone had asked me what I would have done in a similar situation, I would never have said yes. But that day I had no doubts. I remember his injury in Hungary in 2018 as if it were yesterday. And that evening I was in Barshim’s room. He won everything several times, he jumped 2.40 I don’t know how many times. When I manage to beat him, those few times, I feel like I’m beating Bolt. How many times have I beaten him? I don’t know, but still when he mattered.” The balance is seven victories for Tamberi and 22 for Barshim. Plus an equal… The story alternates with fun, with games. The two even get to do a couple of arm raises, with the audience counting. “He and I are opposites – says Tamberi -. He’s a boy like mom wants him to be, I’m the opposite. But what unites us is how we understand sport. Sacrifice, respect for the opponent.”

Ambassador

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Gianmarco Tamberi was greeted by Goffredo Brandoni, regional budget councilor of the Marche region representing the President of the Region, Francesco Acquaroli. “I thank Gianmarco Tamberi for representing us in the world. It is a pride to have you as a testimonial of our region. You are an example for sport and for the young generations.”