The pair will compete this weekend after sharing one of the greatest sporting moments of all time when they topped the podium in Tokyo.
Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi, the joint Olympic high jump winners who gave the world one of the most memorable pictures of the Tokyo 2020 olympics, will reunite when they compete in the Doha Diamond League this Friday May 13th, in the first meeting of the 2022 Wanda Diamond League series.
Mutaz Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy are expected to surprise fans in the men’s high jump event. The pair will compete this weekend after sharing one of the greatest sporting moments of all time in Tokyo, with both of them winning gold.
Long-time friends and rivals, the two have stood by each other through times of adversity, including when they were both suffering from career-threatening ailments in the years leading up to their legendary Olympic victory.
Barshim made history by becoming the first man to successfully defend a world high jump championship title when he won global gold in Doha in 2019. It happened after a devastating ankle injury in 2018. He is the Qatari record holder with a leap of 2.43m, making him the second highest jumper of all time. He was a silver medalist in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
With a jump of 2.39m, Tamberi, the 2016 global indoor and European champion, holds the Italian record. He was having his greatest year ever until he suffered a devastating injury just before the 2016 Rio Olympics.
His return to fitness was slow and difficult, but he returned to medal-winning form in 2019 with a European indoor crown in Glasgow. In march 2022, he came in third place at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
“I celebrated the best moment of my life so far with Mutaz in Tokyo, but it’s important to move on from that and focus on the new goals I’ve set myself for the World and European Championships this summer,” said the 2021 Wanda Diamond League champion.
“I made a late decision to compete at the World Indoors, so I was pleased to make the podium. I’ve been training in Qatar since the end of March, and I’ve enjoyed learning more about this great country. Every time I come here it feels like home because of my friendship with Mutaz and the warm welcome I’ve received, so it means a lot to me to open my Diamond League campaign and summer season in Doha.”
The 2022 Wanda Diamond League will have 14 a total of matches, beginning on May 13 in Doha at the Qatar Sports Club and ending on two days in Zurich with a single final (7-8 September). Each meeting will be televised live for two hours across the world.
The Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha is likely to be packed with fans when the league kicks off on Friday, with organisers reporting an overwhelming response to ticket sales.
The 15000-seat arena is preparing to host the season’s inaugural meet, which will feature multiple world and Olympic champions competing in eight track and field categories.
Tickets, which range in price from 50 QAR to 200 QAR, are selling quickly, according to the organisers, who expect one of the best Diamond League matches in the Qatari capital.
