Tokyo 2020 Mens High Jump Ends in Historic Gold Medal Tie

Sports

The first tie for a gold medal in Olympic Men’s high jump history occurred when Italian and Qatari athletes declined a jump-off to determine an outright winner. Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi both cleared the 2.37-meter height to take them to joint first place with no failed attempts. They, however, failed to clear the Olympic record of 2.39 meters set to determine an outright gold medalist.

An official then approached the two athletes saying, “If you can’t continue with the jump off,” with Mutaz Essa Barshim stepping in, saying, “Can we have two gold?” The official paused for a moment before responding with, “It’s possible; it depends if you both decide on [being] Olympic champions.” Both athletes then slapped hands and embraced, with Italy’s Tamberi letting out an almighty scream and Barshim saying, “I’m finished.”

https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/1421815310546526210?s=20

Tamberi proceeded to roll around on the athletics track crying as Barshim approached the stands, hugging his Qatari onlookers. There was some confusion, as having two gold medalists in men’s high jump had never occurred before in Olympic history. As the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rules state, under rule 181.8 section (d):

“If it concerns the first place, a jump-off between these athletes shall be conducted in accordance with Rule 181.9, unless otherwise decided, either in advance according to the regulations applying to the competition, or during the competition but before the start of the event by the Technical delegate(s) or the Referee if no Technical delegate has been appointed. If no jump-off is carried out, including where the relevant athletes at any stage decide not to jump further, the tie for first place shall remain.”

The key line here is “where the relevant athletes at any stage decide not to jump further, the tie for first place shall remain.” According to the IAAF rules, the two first-placed athletes can choose to withdraw from the jump-off and be awarded the gold medal. This is exactly what happened in this case, however unfortunate it may seem to viewers who watch the Olympics for athletic competition, not handing out medals to those who don’t want to compete for an outright win.