Celebrations continue even as Barshim aims at raising the bar

Tribune News Network Doha It’s a been hectic time for Qatar’s high jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim. Since he won the Tokyo Olympics gold on August 1, 2021, th...

Tribune News NetworkDohaIt’s a been hectic time for Qatar’s high jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim. Since he won the Tokyo Olympics gold on August 1, 2021, the three-time Olympic medallist and twice world champion Qatari has been having more busy days. Celebrations are much the call of the time and deservingly so, moreso after his sharing of the gold with Italian Gianmarco Tamberi in a great gesture of sportsmanship being appreciated worldwide.Barshim and his longtime friend and rival Tamberi put up a great show in Tokyo clearing heights till 2.37m for a tie after which Barshim asked if the two could share the top spot on the podium. An affirmation from the Olympic official not only sent Tamberi into a crazy tumbling of delight at the stadium, it sent waves across the globe in acknowledgement of the gesture.Since then, there’s not been much time to sleep, said Barshim on the sidelines of a homecoming celebration event on Wednesday. “People want to celebrate though which is really nice. I have to fulfill media commitments too,” he added.Yet, the 30-year-old athlete is quite focused on what lies ahead. “I am trying to keep training ahead of the final Diamond League stop in September (in Zurich) but it isn’t easy. We also have the next Asian Games soon (September 2022). We have work indoors, and work outdoors. I have to sit with my coach and my team and decide which one we should consider a priority,” he explained.It shows that despite having achieved so much, he still has the eagerness to excel and raise the bar to world record heights.Barshim is the only one to have jumped second-best In the world behind Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor’s 2.43m (7 ft 11.67 in). The Cuban achieved the mark on March 4, 1989 in Budapest during the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships, clearing 2.43m on his first attempt (and fifth jump overall).So would Barshim now have a go at that height? “Definitely. I am a competitive person and I always want to do more. I always think about what is next. At the moment though, I am focusing on the Diamond League finals. After that I will take some vacation time with the family. Physically, I want to achieve the most I possibly can. The motivation and drive is there, but I need to be careful. I am at the stage of my life where I need to choose where I can compete. I am looking for remarkable jumps now. And I will have a new target to look for next season.“Before I retire I would love to be the world record holder. It will require so much dedication and focus. With my coach, we will set out a plan and I will work for it,” said Barshim.And does he reflect on how far he’s come thus far as an athlete? “Normally I never actually do this. Once I achieve a goal, or win a trophy or medal, I am happy at the time but then I put it back in the closet and keep moving. If you come to my house you won’t see anything from my career on my walls or around the place, you probably wouldn’t even think I lived there. I don’t want the satisfaction of seeing what I have achieved while I am still active. Maybe I will do it when I retire.“However, yesterday was the first day I thought to myself ‘I need a moment to be grateful here’. I took all my medals, and put them next to my bed, and kept them there all night. I was looking at them and reflecting. If I am allowed to say it, I am proud of myself!”So what all does it take for a champion to jump a centimetre more higher? “It’s crazy. Sometimes we train literally a full year to go 1cm higher, and if we do then it’s mission successful. The better you get though, the more difficult it is. Only one person in the universe has jumped higher than me, and that 1 or 2 cm might require 3 or 4 years of hard work and dedication. It is doable, I don’t believe in something being impossible, before I retire I would like to do it,” stressed Barshim.And apart from sports what would appeal a Mutaz Barshim? “I would quite like to take part in a Hollywood movie at some point. I think I could do action comedy!”There you go. You can trust Barshim to excel in whatever he does. For now though, wait for him to take to the field at the Diamond League finale. Meanwhile, let the celebrations continue for he deserves it thoroughly.