The Arabian Falcon is looking to add another medal to his illustrious resume of two Asian Games titles, three World Championships golds and an Olympic gold.

Qatar’s champion high jumper Mutaz Barshim officially secured his spot in the final of the Asian Games Hangzhou 2023 on Tuesday, after a single jump of 2.19 metres.

The three time world champion was expected to participate in the Diamond League event in Eugene, Belgium, which caps off the season, however Barshim skipped the spectacle to be present at the games. 

The Olympic gold medalist stated “For me, the Asian Games are important. You see these vibes, it’s like our Olympics before the Olympics”. 

“Eugene? I am not saying it’s not important, it’s about having different priorities now. For me, it was too much travel and I am a different high jumper now”

“I have three Diamond (League) trophies. Adding a fourth would have been great, but it’s not my top priority at the moment so I decided to skip that,” he added.

On Wednesday, Barshim will face off against South Korea’s Woo Sang-hyeok, who qualified on Monday. 

The Korean is coming off a triumphant victory after capturing the Diamond League trophy in Eugene, the same tournament that Barshim decided to miss, matching his own national record of 2.35m.