Olympic weightlifting champion Fares eyes more glory
Published: 03 Aug 2021 - 08:12 am | Last Updated: 27 Oct 2021 - 10:41 pm
Gold medallists, Mutaz Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony of the men’s high jump, yesterday.
Doha: Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim has said his gold medal at the Tokyo Games was not his individual achievement, saying it was a collective effort of his entire team.
Barshim won his first Olympic gold after he was declared a joint winner of men’s high jump final on Sunday long with his friend Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy. Both scaled 2.37m in the final before failing in their attempts to clear 2.39m.
With a gold medal in Tokyo, the reigning world champion also became the first Qatari to complete the set of Olympic medals, also clinching a bronze at London 2012 and a silver medal at Rio 2016.
In an exclusive interview with beIN Sports, which is broadcasting the live Olympic action across all 24 countries in the MENA region exclusively, Barshim thanked the Qatari leadership for their all out support throughout his career.
“I did not achieve the victory alone, credit goes to the team that was with me, and of course the support of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, His Excellency Sheikh Joaan - President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, the Qatar Athletics Federation, my coach, partners, family, friends and all who were with me,” Barshim told beIN Sports.
“This golden medal is a product of 10 years of constant training and sacrifice. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up,” he added.
Barshim, who fought injuries on his way to Olympic gold, also expressed delight on gold medal for Tamberi, who is his close friend.
“He (Tamberi) knows and I know that after all we suffered and all we sacrificed becoming Olympic champions is not something easy. We have been through a lot, COVID-19, injuries, a lot of setbacks, but we are here today sharing this moment,” he added.
Meanwhile, Fares Ibrahim, who clinched the first ever Olympic gold for Qatar on Saturday by winning 96kg category weightlifting event, told beIN Sports he is eyeing more glory for Qatar.
“We worked a lot and exhausted ourselves to win this medal,” Fares told beIN Sports in an exclusive interview before praising his father and coach Ibrahim, a former weightlifter himself having competed at four Olympics in 1984, 1988, and 1992.
“My dad’s constant support and his encouraging words before I lift is probably among the reasons why I won this medal. Before I enter any competition, I make sure that my father is standing by me and watching me. I draw my strength through him. We were very well prepared for Olympics; we were ready for the global record. There were some obstacles however and the time was limited, we managed to win and now we will prepare for the next World Championship,” he added.
