Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim (left) and his brother Muamer Barshim pose for a picture during the 14th GCC Athletics Championships at Khalifa Stadium in Doha in this file picture of April 11, 2013. The Barshim brothers will be competing in the inaugural event of the 2013 Diamond League meeting in Doha on May 10. RIGHT: Mutaz reacts during a competition in this file picture.
Doha: The world of athletics has witnessed many sports families succeeding on the field of play in the past, but it is quite rare to meet two brothers competing in the same discipline and in the same competition simultaneously.
For Barshim brothers Mutaz and Muamer, their joint entry at the inaugural event of the 2013 Diamond League meeting in Doha on May 10, will be their first at a major international event.
The young Qataris have been together at one-day local or regional competitions before, but never in an event with such worldwide coverage.
Athletics aficionados surely remember two more pairs of brothers who competed in High Jump internationally.
Now retired Czech Jan Janku was a twice-European Indoor Championships finalist, with a fourth-place in the 1998’s edition being his top achievement; his brother Tomáš was even more successful with 2008 Olympic and 2007 World finals, a European outdoors silver medal and a 1998 European Indoors bronze medal to his tally.
Italy’s twin brothers Giulio a 2006 World Indoor finalist and Nicola Ciotti, 5th at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships are still active at age 36.
22-year-old Mutaz has already established himself as one of today’s high jump greats. He seized many regional, area and global medals and in 2012 he captured the Olympic bronze medal in London.
With a personal best of 2.39, he topped last year’s world list and continued with an impressive 2.37 world-leading leap at the 2013 indoor season.
Muamer emerged on the world scene only recently. He was crowned Asian Junior Champion last year and took part in the World Junior Championships in Barcelona.
One month ago the Barshim duo met at the GCC Championships in Doha and registered their first one-two finish.
Mutaz comfortably jumped 2.25 while 19-year-old Muamer trailed with 2.16, falling just four centimetres short of his 2.20 personal best set at the Doha 2012 Diamond League.
The Barshim brothers are confident ahead of the 2013 season and they are looking for a flying start in Doha, although the competition will be harsh against rivals like Britain’s Olympic bronze medalist Robbie Grabarz and 2007 World Champion Donald Thomas from the Bahamas; 2011 World silver medalist Aleksey Dmitrik, former European Champion Aleksandr Shustov and reigning European Indoor Champion Sergey Mudrov, all coming from traditionally strong high jump powerhouse Russia, will definitely play a leading role in the competition and will threaten Jesse Williams and Kyriakos Ioannou’s 2.33 meeting record.The Peninsula
