File photo of Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim making his signature pose during a press conference held in Doha. Picture by: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Doha: World high jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim yesterday warned his rivals that he ‘is in good shape’ and will be aiming for a win in Norway today.
Barshim made these remarks on the eve of the fifth stop of the IAAF Diamond League circuit, the Oslo meeting which will take place today at the Bislett Stadium.
“For me, the season started well and I cleared 2.40 in the opening leg of the Diamond league in Doha, followed by a 2.36 in Eugene. I felt good there and I know that I’m in good shape. I came here to fight and hopefully I will continue winning,” Barshim said during a press conference held in Oslo yesterday.
Barshim, the World Athlete of the year, will be looking to prove his supremacy once again when he goes over the bar against Russia’s Danil Lysenko who has posed the biggest threat to the Qatari athlete this season.
In March, during the IAAF World Indoor Championships Lysenko claimed gold, but Barshim took some revenge at the Eugene Diamond League last month, going over 2.36m to beat Lysenko’s best of 2.32m.
Barshim is no stranger to the Brislett and he said he has some very great memories from last year where he broke the Stadium’s 28-year-old high jump record.
“I’m really happy to be back in Oslo and compete at the Brislett Stadium. I have very great memories from last year here and of course breaking the meeting record was a great achievement,” Barshim said.
A year ago, Qatar’s gravity defying athlete cleared a height of 2.38m in his second attempt, thus bettering the mark set in 1989 by the only man who has jumped higher than him, Cuba’s world record-holder at 2.45m, Javier Sotomayor.
“Tomorrow I expect the weather would be good, good warm-up and a good crowd support. I am greedy for win and I want everything but I know that I should be realistic. I always speak with my coach before a competition and ask him ‘coach if you will give me one advice what’s that? He always thinks of a key advice to give me and ahead of tomorrow’s meet, he said ‘just go and jump’. So hopefully I’ll do that,” Barshim said.
Barshim is not the only Qatari athlete who is expected to steal the limelight today.
In the men’s 400 metres hurdles event, a fierce battle is expected between Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba and world champion Karsten Warholm.
The Qatari star dazzled the crowd in Rome during the fourth meeting of the Diamond League circuit last week with a record breaking performance. He renewed the Asian record, Diamond League record and the event record with an impressive 47.48 seconds.
Apart from Warholm, others who will be looking to impress will be Yasmani Copello of Turkey and Kerron Clement, the reigning Olympic champion.
