No more shared medals, say Olympic high jump heroes Tamberi and Barshim

DOHA: Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim, who provided one of the emotional peaks of the Tokyo Olympics by sharing the high jump gold medal, will not repeat the gesture if they are tied again.

"We already talked about it, it is not going to happen again," Italian Tamberi said ahead of his first clash with his Qatari friend since the Olympics at the Doha Diamond League meeting on Friday (May 12).

Barshim, 30, who holds the world title as well as joint Olympic gold, sat alongside Tamberi as he made the statement on the extraordinary events of August 1 last year.

Both cleared 2.37 metres and with neither able to make 2.39m, track officials offered a jump-off but Barshim famously asked: "Can we have two golds?"

It was the latest episode in their unlikely rivalry-friendship that he has seen them console each other when each had a career-threatening ankle ligament injury.

But with a world championships looming this year, both know that sentiment has to be put to one side.

If they were tied again, "we will look at each other, we will say OK let's go" to the jump-off, declared Tamberi at a press conference Thursday.

"For myself, I will never go back in the past and change what we have done. We will forever remember as brothers ... friends.

"We both won because we both deserved that gold medal. When they ask us will you share again we say 'no' because we have done it once.

"But it does not mean we are not proud of it. I will never change the past even if you paid me or guaranteed me that I will be the one who wins that gold medal, I will share with him because I know he deserves, I know I deserve."

Tamberi wants to add a world title to his Olympic gold. Barshim wants to establish his name among athletics greats by becoming the first