Jaw-dropping sport moments of 2021: high jumpers share Olympic gold

There was a moment, two and a half hours into the greatest men’s high jump competition in Olympic history, where no one had the foggiest idea what was going on. A second earlier, the Italian Gianmarco Tamberi and the Qatari Mutaz Barshim had been calmly talking to an official. Now they were high-fiving, leaping into each other’s arms, and pogoing in pure delirium.

Tamberi then collapsed and began rolling around the track with his hands on his face as if he had been possessed, or shot, or possibly both – while Barshim was using his coach’s shoulder to soak up his tears. It turned out that the most joyous and life-affirming moment of the sporting year was unfolding before our eyes. And soon it wasn’t only Tamberi and Barshim overcome by emotion; the rest of us also found ourselves wiping something from our cheeks.

Until Tokyo there had not been a shared Olympic track and field gold medal since 1912. Yet towards the end of an extraordinary high jump final, in which six men were still jumping at 2.39m, Tamberi and Barshim were still unable to be separated. As the judge began to talk to both men about having a jump off, an idea formed in Barshim’s head. “Can we have two golds?” the Qatari asked, thinking out loud about whether he might be allowed to share triumph with his great friend. “If you want to, you can,” replied the official. There were no more words. Just a look, a smile, then an almighty clap of hands. It was not just an act of sportsmanship. But, in such uncertain times, massage balm for the soul.

However, it was so unexpected that not even Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, knew what was going on. “It was a great competition, everybody was focused on it,” says Coe, who was sitting with IOC vice