Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi celebrates his gold medal in the high jump at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. CAMERON SPENCER / AFP
Olympic co-champion with Qatari Mutaz Barshim, in Tokyo in 2021, the Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi is once again aiming for first place in Paris, Saturday August 10. Crowned world champion in Budapest in 2023, he was also the flag bearer of the transalpine delegation during the opening ceremony in Paris, on Friday July 26. He delivers to the Monde his vision of his sport, which he considers “very conservative”.
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Three years after that unforgettable moment at the Tokyo Olympics, where you shared a gold medal with Mutaz Barshim, are you still in tune with your decision?
I have never regretted the competition, quite the contrary. It is a moment that I remember with extreme pleasure. If someone had asked me, before my Olympic Games, “would you be ready to share the gold medal with someone?”, I probably would not have answered yes.
I think that sharing the best moment of your life with someone you respect, and especially with a friend, is unbeatable. It is a gesture of friendship and sportsmanship. Winning at the Olympic Games is a long-term job. So you are not ready to share it with someone you do not respect. We both managed to have a perfect competition that deserved the gold and it was normal that we both go home with this medal.
Read also | Tokyo 2021 Olympics: Barshim and Tamberi, the gold medal of sharing at the height
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Does your friendship with Mutaz Barshim illustrate the special atmosphere in the jumping and throwing disciplines?
We spend a lot of time on the stadium together during all the competitions. With Mutaz, we have been competing together for over thirteen years now, and the time we spend on the track is not limited to the ten seconds of a 100m.
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A competition lasts up to two and a half hours. The actual action is about an hour and a half, or about seven to ten minutes per jumper. There is plenty of free time to get to know the others better.
Since Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt retired in 2017, athletics has lost a lot of charisma. Does your sport need more outgoing and exuberant personalities like yours?
In an athletics stadium, many events take place simultaneously. The spectator’s attention is lost a little, because he does not have the leisure to follow each discipline well. It is not possible to add more spectacle like music, cheerleaders, because there is already a surplus of information. So, in my opinion, it is not that there are no characters capable of expressing their personality [lui-même a, par exemple, simulé une blessure à la cheville après avoir décroché l’or aux championnats d’Europe à Rome en juin, avant de sortir des… ressorts de sa chaussure]it is rather this spectacular aspect which is lacking in athletics.
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2024-08-07 06:51:25
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