By Reuters

More of this topic

Posted inIndustries Sport

Mutaz Essa Barshim wins Qatar’s first Olympic silver medal in men’s high jump

Canada’s Derek Drouin leaps to gold clearing a height of 2.38 metres

By Reuters
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim claimed this country’s first ever Olympic medal, winning silver in the men’s high jump in Rio.

Canada’s Derek Drouin took gold, clearing a height of 2.38 metres to beat the competition, ahead of Doha-born Barhsim, with Bogdan Bondarenko of Ukraine landing the bronze.

Drouin, the reigning world champion and one of three bronze medallists in the event at London 2012, jumped with a clean slate throughout the competition, only falling short of the mark at 2.40 metres having already clinched the gold.

Bondarenko played a tactical game, passing on two of his first four jumps, but was ultimately unable to clear 2.38m to snatch the silver from Barshim.

Russia’s Ivan Ukhov was unable to defend his Olympic title after he and other Russian athletes were barred from the Games following revelations of state-backed doping in the country.

Follow us on

For all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.