The blue jumper defeats the odds with a superlative 2.36 ahead of the American Harrison and his friend Barshim
Amazing Gianmarco Tamberi. He was only missing a medal in the Outdoor World Championships in his already very rich palmares. And in the incredible evening in Budapest, the blue jumper takes the most important of all, the gold of the World Athletics Championships. In the high jump final, the Italian approaches the height of the Tokyo Olympics (2.37) and with 2.36 he wins the most important medal of all on the night in the Hungarian capital. Only the American JuVaughn Harrison manages to match him in the measure, but Tamberi takes the top step of the podium for having hit the measure of victory at the first attempt. Third place, surprisingly, for the very favorite Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar), the friend with whom he had shared the Olympic gold medal two summers ago. “I dream of gold for a feat never seen before”, he said referring to the World Cup. Here it is, the company.
The final
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As mentioned, one would have expected Barshim to dominate in Budapest, a dominance confirmed up to the penultimate measure thanks to a course completed smoothly before the triple error. Tamberi instead grew during the race, starting with some mistakes and a couple of grimaces of dissatisfaction, transformed into pure energy as the difficulties increased. The one on which the South Korean Sanghyeok Woo – smiling as infallible up to that moment -, the German Tobias Potye and the Cuban Luis Enrique Zayas crashed.
party and… deception
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For Tamberi, as usual, a euphoric catwalk in front of the Budapest public then began: the kiss to his wife Chiara Bontempi, the embrace to his friend Barshim – with the baby in his arms – and then the “fake” attempt to look for the best personal result in his career, that 2.40 which he never reached. Fake because, after a long show to the rhythm of applause from the audience, Tamberi didn’t really jump, but continued the race, passing under the pole (with an officially null attempt) and returning to the stands amid surprised and amused faces: he reiterated in fact how unpredictability dictated the rhythm of his days. That splendid unpredictability that transformed his grimaces into the mocking smile of a world champion. And, finally, the dive into the pool of the 3000 hedges together with the Moroccan, fresh champion, Soufiane El Bakkali – personally convinced – and the bronze Abraham Kibiwott (Kenya), persuaded with some more difficulty.
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