By Katelyn Hansen
High jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim did it again at the Prefontaine Classic, becoming a three-time title holder with a jump of 7 feet, 8 3/4 inches, well ahead of Danil Lysenko and Yu Wang, who each finished with a height of 7 feet, 7 1/4 inches.
Lysenko finished second with one fewer missed attempt.
All three jumpers cleared 7-7 1/4 , but Barshim passed at the next height, 7-8.
“Sometimes you feel, ugh, I’m a little bit tired,” said Barshim. “So, I need to save myself. I don’t want to jump a lot. I knew I could jump the next height, so I was really confident.”
Neither Lysenko nor Wang could clear 7-8, meaning Barshim had to clear the next height to win. He then missed his first two attempts and looked back to his coach for advice on how to complete this jump. His coach let him know to stay back and adjust to the wind.
“The wind was turning around, so before I started running it was quiet, and when I started running it was backwind,” Barshim said. “I needed to make sure I got the right approach to take off.”
Barshim’s performance throughout competition was very consistent until the winning height. He then had the bar raised to 7-11 1/4, and he missed three attempts.
“I’m happy with the win and the height, but I need to get much more height,” he said.
When Barshim took his victory lap around Hayward Field, he made sure to take his time when greeting his fans.
“These people come to support you, and I appreciate that,” he said. “We need all the support, you know, so I really appreciate everyone. If I can, I want to take my time on the victory lap, take pictures with everyone, greet everyone, and let them know I appreciate them.”
