Tokyo 2020 is the Summer Olympics 2020. It is an ongoing international multi-sport event. It is being held in Tokyo, Japan. Because of the current coronavirus pandemic, it is being held in closed doors and spectators are not being allowed. Originally the games were supposed to be held in 2020 but they were postponed to 2021.
At the Tokyo Games on August 1 in the men’s high jump, the competition was settled not by clearing the top height but through a friendly subtle nod. A nod to the true spirit of friendship and sports. Gianmarco Tamberi is a high jumper. He is the World Indoor Champion 2020. He broke the Italian high jump record twice in 2015. He is the current holder to two national records. He has won national championships 8 times.
Mutaz Ezza Barshim is a track and field athlete. He is the second best jumper of all time. In the 2017 World Championship, he won a gold. He won gold again in the 2019 World Championship. He is the holder of Asian record in High Jump. he has won many Asian and World Championships.
Both Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Ezza Barshim ended with jumps of 2.37m and had no failed attempts until they attempted to clear 2.39 m. After each of them failed 3 attempts, a ‘jump-off’ was offered by an Olympic official to decide the winner. However Barshim proposed another option- “Can we have two golds?”. The official nodded in affirmative and what followed was a heartwarming moment for the entire world to see.
The two athletes hugged each other and jumped in joy. Barshim said that he is one of his best friends. It is the true sportsman spirit and they strongly delivered this message with love. The ending was nothing less than a fairytale. It was the first time since the 1912 Stockholm Olympics that a gold medal was shared. Both truly represented what sports is all about. They have scripted a piece of history and embedded it with inspiration and true sportsmanship.