Mutaz Barshim
Doha, Qatar: If any moment showed that Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim is ready to win a fourth consecutive world high jump title at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, it came at last month’s Silesia Diamond League meeting.
There, after seeing the Italian with whom he shared the last Olympic title, Gianmarco Tamberi, and Germany’s Tobias Potye clear 2.34m at their second attempts – while he had failed – Barshim skipped to 2.36m and went over first time to set a world lead and meeting record.
Neither Tamberi nor Potye, for whom 2.34m was a personal best, could proceed further.
Once again, the elastic athlete from Doha was bouncing up and down in glee.
Barshim, 32, has had to compete cautiously in recent years to counteract a severe back problem. Tamberi, 31, also returned from an awful ankle injury to re-establish himself at the top. Both have the talent, and character, to win. But you can’t help thinking Barshim will find the way again.
Tamberi, however, will have the extra incentive of trying to win a first world outdoor gold to add to his indoor version from 2016. Potye is clearly a medal contender, too.
Another man who could spoil the party for the joint Tokyo Olympic champions is JuVaughn Harrison of the United States, who stands second in the 2023 top list after winning the London Diamond League meeting on 23 July with 2.35m.
It was the third Diamond League victory of the season for the 24-year-old from Alabama - a record that bodes well for his World Championships chances.
A strong challenge will also be posed by Korea’s Woo Sanghyeok, fourth in Tokyo and who last year won world indoor gold and world outdoor silver.
New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games champion Hamish Kerr, who set an Oceanian record of 2.34m indoors this year, is also in contest while Australia’s Joel Baden and Ukraine’s world bronze medallist Andriy Protsenko will also be in action at the
The athletes will take part in qualification on August 20, with the final set to take place two days later, at the National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary.
