This is a fun piece by Stuart Weir on Olympic and World Champion Gianmarco Tamberi, who he calls Gimbo!
World and Olympic champion, Gianmarco Tamberi
Gianmarco Tamberi won the World Championship high jump on countback from JuVaughn Harrison after they had both cleared 2.36. Mutaz Essa Barshim was third. Tamberi is now Olympic and World champion – having shared the Olympic gold with Barshim. Afterwards, he said: “I just went for it. I wanted to write history by winning gold medals at all the major competitions. The feeling is amazing. It is worth all the sacrifices over the years. No high jumper has won two Olympic golds, so making history in Paris would be amazing. But first, the party tonight. I need to celebrate this medal because I deserve it after one year of sacrifices and diet”.
Barshim’s comment afterward indicates how Gimbo is regarded by his peers: “I am happy that Tamberi won the gold. It was a medal he was missing from his CV, and he added it tonight. He deserved to be on the top of the podium. He has been working hard, and it is time to celebrate”.
Gimbo is always worth listening to. When he was asked by one of the World Athletics staff for his assessment of his performance in the qualifying round in Budapest, he replied: “Did you watch the competition? It was terrible. I came to the competition to lose as little energy as possible, but it did not work. It was a total disaster. Hopefully, in the final, it is going to be different. I am used to this kind of competition – in qualification, I jump horribly”. Not exactly a predictable or bland reply!
Gimbo displays his complete personality when he competes. When he clears a bar, he celebrates; when he fails, he reacts as if it really matters – for example, throwing himself on the ground as if shot. Earlier this year I saw him compete in Poland. He thought the crowd was not engaging enough with the event and went over and urged them to cheer more.
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