By suggesting they both win, Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi have helped to upturn preconceptions about success
“Can we have two golds?” Mutaz Barshim of Qatar’s words during the men’s high jump competition, spoken to the friend with whom he was tied in first place, Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi, have surely marked one of the most heartwarming moments of the Olympics so far. They both had achieved jumps of 2.37 metres. They could have settled it with a jump off. But instead, they chose to share, celebrating not only their sporting prowess, but also their friendship. “Sharing with a friend is even more beautiful … It was just magical,” Tamberi said. “This is beyond sport,” Barshim added. “This is the message we deliver to the young generation.”
It may not be in the spirit of ancient Greek heroism – but then we’re not sacrificing oxen in honour of Zeus any more, either. In the modern age, there is a long history of medal sharing, and the Olympic spirit – or Olympism – as established by Pierre de Coubertin emphasised solidarity, peace and humanism. Barshim and Tamberi’s act is hardly out of step with tradition, but it will still have its detractors. It goes against the grain of what spectators have come to expect from elite sport: a narrative where there is one winner, one hero, one champion to rule them all. It’s a poignant gesture in this year in particular, which has seen collective action and solidarity become so important.
