Italy won the first gold medal in the World Athletics Championships 2023 after Gianmarco Tamberi brought the country’s historic Championship medal in the men’s high jump event.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Men’s High Jump – The Close Final Event
On the fourth day of the World Athletics Championships 2023 (August 22), the Tokyo 2020 Olympics joint gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi secured the gold medal by equalling the world lead jump of 2.36m. Although the 24-year-old American JuVaughn Harrison also achieved the same height, he lost the gold-medal battle on countback as he finished with the silver medal.
Since Jesse Williams’ gold medal in the 2011 edition, Harrison became the first American to win a World Championship medal in the men’s high jump event.
Meanwhile, Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim failed to achieve the 2.36m mark thrice and ended with a bronze medal with his 2.33m achievement.
After the Rio 2016 Olympics silver medal, it was the first time for Barshim to lose a gold medal at a major championship. He not only jointly held the Tokyo 2020 gold medal but also claimed the previous three World Athletics Championships golds (2017, 2019 and 2022).
World Athletics Championships 2023: Men’s High Jump – Gianmarco Tamberi the 1st Italian
Tamberi became the first Italian gold medallist in the men’s or women’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships history. In the meantime, he became the first Italian to win any medal in the Championship men’s high jump event.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Men’s High Jump (Final Status/Top10)
Rank | Athlete | Country | Marks | Mark | ||||||
2.20 | 2.25 | 2.29 | 2.33 | 2.36 | 2.38 | 2.40 | ||||
1 | Gianmarco Tamberi | Italy | — | xo | o | o | o | xx- | x | 2.36 (=WL) |
2 | JuVaughn Harrison | United States | — | o | o | o | xo | xxx | — | 2.36 (=WL) |
3 | Mutaz Essa Barshim | Qatar | — | xo | o | o | xxx | — | — | 2.33 |
4 | Luis Enrique Zayas | Cuba | xo | xo | xo | o | xxx | — | — | 2.33 (PB) |
5 | Tobias Potye | Germany | o | xo | o | xo | xxx | — | — | 2.33 |
6 | Woo Sang-hyeok | South Korea | o | o | o | x- | xx | — | — | 2.29 |
7 | Shelby McEwen | United States | o | xo | xxo | xx- | x | — | — | 2.29 (SB) |
8 | Ryoichi Akamatsu | Japan | o | o | xxx | — | — | — | — | 2.25 |
Brandon Starc | Australia | o | o | xxx | — | — | — | — | 2.25 | |
10 | Norbert Kobielski | Poland | o | xo | xxx | — | — | — | — | 2.25 |
(NOTE: =WL – Equals to World Leading [World Season Best]; SB – Season Best; PB – Personal Best)
What did Gianmarco Tamberi say?
Tamberi felt superhero for the night by recording Italy’s historic gold in the World Athletics Championships 2023.
Tamberi reacted on France TV after winning the Championship crown, "Just amazing. I feel like a human being who beat some superheroes tonight."
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