The Summer Olympics, for the viewers, is an event we get to watch every four years. But for the athletes competing in them, it can be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Two decade-long friends, Mutaz Essa Barshim, 30, of Qatar, and Gianmarco Tamberi, 29, of Italy, were among the world’s greatest athletes who arrived in Tokyo, Japan for the 2020 Olympic, being held in 2021 due to covid-19.
Both Barshim and Tamberi competed in the men’s high jump when they found themselves as the final two, having cleared 2.37 mete. When neither were able to clear the last height of 2.39 meters, they had a decision to make.
Because both were unable to clear the same height at the same number of attempts, they had to choose between proceeding with a jump-off or accept a tie.
Without hesitation, Barshim asked officials, “Can we have two golds?”
“It is possible,” the official replies. The two competitors look at each other in agreement, and Tamberi lets out a scream, jumping on his friend in celebration and collapsing to the track in tears.
First meeting at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick, where Tamberi failed to qualify for the finals, Barshim won the title.
Being at the same high level in the sport, they would see each other at many competitions and became not only friends, who meet up when they can and call each other often, but a support system for each other.
Barshim and Tamberi have been through a lot together. While training for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Tamberi tore a ligament in his ankle, an injury that could have kept him from ever jumping again. Two-year letter, Barshim suffered a similar injury.
“The injury was so bad that we couldn’t actually imagine coming back to jump,” Barshim said, “mentally, physically, what we’ve been through — he [Tamberi] knows, I know, it takes so much.”
“In the track, we are opponents, but still supporting each other. We want to win, we want to beat each other, but still, we know how hard it is to do this sport, how many sacrifices you have to do,” Tamberi said.
Because Tamberi had suffered a similar injury two years prior, he helped his friend work through it, both making it back to the track.
“Not because I don’t respect the others. I respect all the high jumpers that were there,” Tamberi said. “But Mutaz passed through the same problem as me, and I know what it means to come back from that injury. I know how frustrating it is.”
This shared gold medal is rare because competitors are usually reluctant to share, especially in a moment like this where they could have battled it out. But that’s what the Olympics are about.
At its core, the Olympics are about bringing every country together and stripping away the differences.
So, congratulations to Mutaz and Gianmarco, who get to celebrate together in what Mutaz says is going to be “something crazy.”
Be sure to check out the video below to see this beautiful moment for yourself.
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