Mutaz Barshim/Facebook
Mutaz Barshim
After sailing through a qualification round for the men’s high jump finals yesterday, Qatari track and field athlete Mutaz Barshim is now preparing to go for the gold at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
Barshim, 24, is one of the world’s best high jumpers, and holds a Olympic bronze medal and world silver medal in that category.
Last year, he came close to breaking the world record in the high jump by clearing 2.43 meters (about 8 feet), sparking a meme in which commenters used photoshop to demonstrate the scale of his prowess:
Adam Schmenk/Twitter
Mutaz Barshim
Finals
Yesterday, Barshim easily cleared the automatic qualification mark of 2.31 meters on his first attempt.
الى نهاااااائي المونديال
@mutazbarshim pic.twitter.com/vyeBRvFh7z
— زينب. (@Zainab_Ali_) August 28, 2015
On Twitter, the athlete thanked God for clearing the qualification round, and said he’d be competing in the finals on Sunday at 1:30pm Doha time. The event will be livestreamed here.
Support for the local remains strong, with many in Qatar wishing him good luck ahead of the jump:
RT to send energy to @MutazBarshim! Go for Gold! #Beijing2015 #Qatar #ILQ #QatarLiving #WGOQ pic.twitter.com/Oj0hQHXruU
— Red Bull Qatar (@RedBullQatar) August 27, 2015
Do you plan to watch? Thoughts?
(The post Qatar’s Barshim to compete for gold in IAAF finals on Sunday is from Doha News.)