Come May 5 and Qatar’s favourite son Mutaz Essa Barshim will return home to one of his favourite competition venues — the Qatar Sports Club. The opening round of this year’s IAAF Diamond League will be extra special for him as it is his first outing in Doha since winning silver at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Over the last few years, his running rivalry with American Erik Kynard has become quite famous.
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Mutaz, the 2014 world indoor champion, cleared 2.43 m that year to become the second highest jumper in history. He clinched the Diamond Race titles in 2014 and 2015 but lost it to Kynard in 2017.
This year, they will once again go head to head in Doha in search of that vital, morale-boosting first win.
Mutaz is never one to back down from a challenge. This is a trait he says he learnt from an American boxer, who used to go by the name ‘Muhammad Ali.’ He also credits the legendary American with his most favourite sports quote — “I want to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”
He is one of the most exciting young talents to have emerged from the entire Arab region in recent times. And the 25-year-old is acutely aware of the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
“When I won gold in Sopot, Poland, in 2014, it was a first for the entire region. No Qatari, or Arab, had ever won a high jump gold at the world level. The importance of athletics had been diminishing in the region, but things are changing now. I’m happy to have played a small part in its revival,” he said during a recent chat.
“My performances have encouraged and motivated athletes to dream bigger. Perhaps, I’ve broken a mental barrier that Arabs aren’t good enough to win gold in my discipline at the highest level. I’m aware I’ll have to continue doing well to sustain the momentum,” he added.
Mutaz also spoke eloquently about the changing mentality of Qatari parents when it comes to making their children sportspersons.
“In the past, lack of family support was a major issue for Qatari sportsmen and women. I was lucky to be born in a sports family, where my father and elder brother were athletes. It made my initiation easier. While other families emphasised on the importance of education, my father supported my choice of an athletics career.
“However, in the last three or four years, the mentality has undergone a sea change. When I go to Aspire Park in the evenings, I see hundreds of families walking, jogging and exercising together. They’ve started to embrace sports as part of their lives. I feel children will now no longer have to struggle to get into sports,” he said.
In 2009, Mutaz took a bold step, stopping his studies and instead concentrating only on his jumping career. It was a decision that changed his life forever.
“I always knew I’ve got the talent to excel in high jump. I can always study, regardless of my age. I can still be a graduate at 30, but can’t jump like I’m doing now. High jumpers, in particular, can’t perform the same over long periods of time. Very few can remain at the top level beyond 28 or 29.
“In 2009, I decided I would take a year off and just jump. If I didn’t do well, I promised myself I would return for higher studies. But that year, I won gold at the IAAF World Junior Championships. I was convinced to carry on jumping. I’ve never once regretted my decision,” he said.
Without a doubt, Mutaz is Asia’s most successful high jumper. He won two Olympic medals — silver (Rio 2016) and bronze (London 2012) — in addition to the IAAF World Championship title in 2014 and two Asian Games gold (Guangzhou, 2010 and Incheon, 2014).
The elusive World record
But how can a high jumper be acknowledged as a true legend? The simplest answer is ‘by breaking the world record that has stood the test of time and which many feel is virtually unbreakable.’
Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor set the current world record (2.45 m) way back in 1993. It is the longest standing high jump world record. Mutaz came dangerously close to breaching it (2.43 m) at the Brussels Diamond League meet in September 2014. However, he said he would not be distracted from the aim of breaking the world record.
“I want to jump as high as possible and break the world record. I may even be able to clear 2.50M. I’m progressing step by step, in a calm manner. When I eventually retire, I shouldn’t feel sorry thinking I could’ve done more. It’s for this reason I never display my trophies or medals at home, except during photo calls. I always want to remain hungry for more successes,” he said.
“I’ve been chasing the world record mark for quite some time now. I haven’t set any time frame for it. This isn’t something that can be pre-planned. Your performance on any given day depends on several factors — personal fitness and conditions on the field, for example. But I always keep that mark at the back of my mind,” he concluded.
