In a dramatic end to the Olympic high jump final, Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi elected to share the gold medal, rather than proceed with a jump-off to determine the event winner.īoth athletes - as well as Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau - had earlier cleared 2.37m, but with the bar subsequently raised to the Olympic record of 2.39m, none of the three men was able to complete a successful jump. I can't believe it.' Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi decide to share high jump gold Oh my god, it's amazing that I have ever seen this day. It's a new PB (personal best) and a national record. 'I really had to pull it out to win the 200m. I haven't slept after the 100m final,' Thompson-Herah said after completing six rounds of racing en route to the sprint double. 'It feels amazing to win two golds again. In the process, Thompson-Herah cemented her status as the undisputed sprinting queen by becoming the first woman to win the 100-200m double gold at consecutive Olympic Games. Three days later, Thompson-Herah set the track of the Olympic stadium ablaze once more as she stormed to the 200m title with a time of 21.53 seconds - this time just 0.19 seconds short of the legendary Joyner’s world record (and Olympic) time from Seoul. Elaine Thompson-Herah (2021 Getty Images) The time also launched her into second place on the world all-time list behind Griffith Joyner. The Jamaican sprinter (who won gold in both events at Rio 2016) claimed her second gold medal in the 100m on 31 July in a blistering time of 10.61 seconds, breaking late American icon Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old Olympic record of 10.62 that she set in Seoul 1988. Prior to Tokyo 2020, no woman had ever successfully defended the 100m and 200m titles.īut Elaine Thompson-Herah is no ordinary athlete. We have things going on behind the scenes… I had to take a step back and focus on myself.' Simone Biles (2021 Getty Images) Elaine Thompson-Herah makes Olympic history “At the end of the day we’re not just entertainment. 'And I'm just proud of myself and all of these girls as well. it was very emotional,' she said on NBC's TODAY Show. ' means more than all the golds because I've been through so much the last five years and the last week while I've even been here it was just. Yet in a great display of mental fortitude and courage, Biles returned to competition to take part in the balance beam final, capturing a bronze medal - her seventh career Olympic medal. She subsequently opted out of three of the four apparatus finals in order to focus on her mental health her decision was widely applauded by fans and athletes (including those in Tokyo) from all over the world.

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