One of the vital memorable moments of the 2020 Tokyo Summer time Olympics got here within the males’s excessive bounce, when Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi agreed to share the gold medal, having turned in the identical efficiency. It was a second replayed around the globe as proof of the perfect the Olympics has to supply, two athletes placing in commanding performances on the game’s greatest stage, however sharing the glory.
Nevertheless, that second was simply one among many between the 2 athletes that illustrated their shared bond. Forward of the 2016 Summer time Olympics Tamberi suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle, an damage that dominated him out of the Rio video games. As struggled throughout his comeback try the next 12 months, it was Barshim who helped him in that effort. After the Tokyo Olympics Tamberi recalled a second in Paris in 2017 when the Italian athlete failed to finish a bounce at a meet and was inconsolable. “‘Don’t attempt to rush it,’ he saved telling me. ‘You had a giant damage, you’re already again within the Diamond League,” recalled Tamberi. “Nobody anticipated that. However now that you must take your time, don’t count on an excessive amount of too early from your self. Simply see what occurs.’”
A 12 months later their roles have been reversed. It was Barshim who suffered a torn ligament of his personal, and Tamberi was put within the position of consoler for his rival, and good friend.
So when the second got here in Tokyo for them to probably share the gold, it was really one thing the 2 had dreamed of throughout these darker instances.
“Neither of us needed to take this immense pleasure away from the opposite, we didn’t even want to debate it, an eye fixed contact and we each knew we needed to share this gold,” mentioned Tamberi in the course of the Tokyo Olympics. “In truth, many instances earlier than we’ve joked ‘think about if we might share an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo?’”
That friendship was on show once more Wednesday in London.
Barshim got here up limping on his first try at 2.27 meters in the course of the qualification spherical, apparently struggling a left calf damage. It ought to come as no shock that as trainers have been tending to him, Tamberi came to visit to assist his rival and good friend:
Barshim then accomplished an try at 2.27 meters, clinching a spot in Saturday’s last spherical
Together with Tamberi.
The Olympics’ social media web page shared the video from their gold medal second on the Tokyo Video games, together with a picture of Tamberi serving to his good friend Wednesday in Paris:
Maybe they’ll share gold but once more.
