What on earth has happened to the stars of the high jump since the memorable final in Tokyo? – “This is melting madness”

OREGON. Athletics enthusiasts will not miss the men’s high jump Olympic final at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on August 1, 2021. The level was rock hard: never before in the history of the sport’s prestigious finals had a jumper finished tenth after crossing the bar at a height of 230. The New Zealander Hamish Kerr suffered that fate in Tokyo.

Although the level of the final was historically wide, it did not leave the brightest memory of the competition. It was formed by the solution of the final, when the Qataris known as good friends Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy Gianmarco Tamberi decided to distribute the gold medal in the event of a tie instead of the normally expected elimination competition. The decision sparked a debate for and against, which made the competition even more memorable.

A similar winning battle between Tamber and Barshim in the World Cup finals in Oregon, which will be contested on Monday, is unlikely. Tamberi barely passed Friday’s qualification, clearing heights of 225 and 228 on only his third attempt.

If Tamberi had not exceeded 228, he would have been eliminated from the finals due to his poor protocol. of Mexico Edgar Rivera and Germany Mateusz Przybylko made it to the final with 225, thanks to a successful first attempt.

The final competition will also feature Barshim, who won the previous two world championships, and cleared the qualification cleanly: three jumps (217, 225 and 228), three crossings. There was no need to jump the qualifying limit of 230, because the 12 finalists were already clear in good time.

The qualification limit was set very hard, considering the season’s result level. The top result of the outdoor track season belongs to a Russian Ilya Ivanjuk 234, but Ivanjuk is not seen in Oregon. The International Athletics Federation has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Games due to the war of aggression started by Russia.

South Korean athletes competing in the World Championships Woo Sang-Hyeok and the United States Shelby McEwen have exceeded their best 233, but behind them 230 means the best of the season for the participants.

Men’s high jump has been on the Diamond League program three times during the season. A winning result worthy of the name of the series has only been seen in the opening competition in Doha, which Woo took after jumping 233.

After this, Canada Django Lovett was number one in Birmingham with a score of 228, of which the US JuVaughn Harrison made even more modest in Rome, with 227.

The lowest gold result in the history of the WC is 232 – in Helsinki in 1983 and 2005 and in Berlin in 2009. In most of the finals, 6–7 athletes have exceeded the height of 230.

At the World Championship level, eight athletes have succeeded in the trick at their best, in Stuttgart 1993, when the US Tony Barton was eighth with a score of 231.

World Cup finals worth mentioning were also witnessed in Tokyo in 1991, in Rome in 1987 and in Moscow in 2013. In Tokyo, the British Dalton Grant was left out of the medals, even though he crossed the bar with a height of 236. In Rome and Moscow, the bronze result was 238.

Why has the level dropped so drastically since the Olympics a year ago? Coaching the 2018 European champion Mateusz Przybylko With Hans-Jörg Thomaskamp has a clear view on the matter: the pace of competition does not serve a good level of results. It kills it.

– Less than half a year after the Tokyo Olympics, the World Cup indoor track competitions will be held. Now it’s the turn of the MM outdoor track competitions and in less than a month the EC competitions. In the current Competition Calendar, the probabilities are not conducive to maintaining the level or building top condition for the main event, says Thomaskap.

The main thing for athletes’ competitive pace is the pandemic years. The vast majority of athletes live off competition income, and when the pandemic period specifically vaccinated this part, the need for competitions has been human.

The low level of results in the Diamond League and other high-level competitions has not come as a surprise to Thomaskamp.

– Athletes are people. When we look at the level of results in Tokyo or Moscow (at the 2013 World Cup), there is nothing to make it possible to maintain the level.

The facts support the German pilot’s view. In the value competition years of the two outdoor tracks, i.e. the Olympic years 2012 and 2016, the level of results in the European Championships has remained remarkably modest.

– If we had the opportunity to prepare for prestigious competitions like in Tokyo, where the athletes could build their peak condition, we would witness the same level, Thomaskamp says and points out that the tenth place came with a score of 230.

The coach gives an example of his protégé.

– For me, a high jumper needs 700-1000 high-quality jumps to be ready. Barshim is an exception to this. My coach is in better shape than ever in terms of physical results (the record is 235), but coming into these games his number is around 600. These games are coming too early for us.

– For us, like many Europeans, these World Cups are not the main goal of the season, says Thomaskamp.

Thomaskamp estimates that when it comes to the result of the World Cup gold, Oregon will not necessarily see the lowest level of results in history.

– Of course, I don’t hope for that, but it is possible. Barshim is the strongest favorite to win due to his experience. He may well jump higher, but for others it is anything but normal.

Thomaskamp urges humanity from athletics leaders when they plan the calendar of prestigious competitions.

– At this pace, the health of the athletes and thus the future of the sport is being put at risk. This is pure madness.

In order to see readings like the Tokyo Olympics at Hayward Field, the tall men would have to get in shape, which the previous months have not given any indication of.

Barshim, who has been shining as a superstar of the sport for years, drew a cautious line after the qualification when the talk turned to Monday’s final.

– I haven’t been in 100% shape in previous value races either. I’m here to fight. If something happens, it happens. If I give my all, I will be satisfied – regardless of the result, Barshim told the interview area.

The master has suffered from motivational problems. Friday’s qualifying was only Barshim’s third race of the season. The best of the season, 230, is from the Doha Diamond League from the beginning of May.

– When you have achieved almost all your goals, it is difficult to motivate yourself. I have focused on family life and have been doing running exercises. I haven’t done any jumping training in practice. However, I missed competing at least somewhat, so I decided to come here, Barshim said.