Tokyo 2020: 2 Athletes share gold medals after refusing to compete further in long jump
- Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi have both been awarded gold medals in the long jump event of the Tokyo Olympics
- The Qatari and Italian athletes were both given the opportunity to share the gold medal for the event after failing to cross the 2.37-metre bar
- The bronze medal for the long jump then went to Belarus' Maksim Nedasekau, who also could not cross the 2.37-metre bar
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Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi competed in the high jump as both athletes settled for a gold medal, according to BBC and Euro Sport.
How it all happened at the long jump event
The Qatari and Italian high jumpers were even at crossing the 2.37-metre bar after an exhausting two-hour competition.
Source: UGC
They both crossed all the heights except for the lats, which Barshim and Tamberi failed on their first attempt.
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The pair then agreed to reach a comprise of not knowing who would settle for second as they were both awarded with gold medals.
The duo started celebrating around the track at Tokyo Stadium after showing the spirit of sportsmanship to each other.
Barshim and Tamberi celebrated with their coaches and hoisting their nation's flags above their heads. It is the first joint Olympic podium in athletics since 1912.
Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus settled for bronze having also jumped at 2.37m, but failed more attempts across the competition. Barshim is the winner of Qatar's second-ever Olympic gold medal after weightlifter Fares Elbakh won the first in the men's 96kg event.
Tamberi was still celebrating on the track when his compatriot Lamont Marcell Jacobs ran into his arms after winning the men's 100m final.
Meanwhile, Briefly News had earlier reported that Enoch Adegoke produced a valiant effort in the men's 100 metres final but pulled off a hamstring injury halfway into the race.
Italy's Lamont Jacobs finished first in the race as Fred Kerley came second and Canadian Andre De Grasse won bronze. Jacobs returned a personal best of 9:80 seconds to become the first Italian to ever wear the blue ribbon at the 100m men's event.
South Africa's Akani Simbiwe came fourth while Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes was disqualified in the thrilling contest.
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Source: Briefly News
Stefan Mack (Editor) Stefan Mack is an English and history teacher who has broadened his horizons with journalism. He enjoys experiencing the human condition through the world's media. Stefan keeps Briefly News' readers entertained during the weekend. He graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2010 with a Bachelor of Education (BEd), majoring in History and English. Stefan has been writing for Briefly News for a number of years and has covered mainstream to human interest articles.
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
