- Title: "The doctor said I might never run again," says Italian gold medallist Tamberi
- Date: 2nd August 2021
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (AUGUST 1, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALIAN HIGH JUMP GOLD MEDALLIST, GIANMARCO TAMBERI, saying: "Two is better than one, if we could do three it would be even better. No, You know, it's not that easy, I wouldn't have shared that gold medal with everybody, probably just with another high jumper in that track would be (inaudible) because Mutaz and Brandon they are really big friends of mine, we are sharing this journey together and I know Mutaz's past too because he had the same injury as me and I didn't want to leave just the dream to him and he didn't want to leave the dream to me so we continue to fight, somebody loses its dream. We could finish with two gold medals, that's the rule, so we just looked at each other and we just start to cry and understand, realise our dream." TAMBERI TALKING TO MEDIA
- Embargoed: 16th August 2021 16:18
- Keywords: Gianmarco Tamberi Tokyo Olympics high jump
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- City: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA005EOL77T3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi arrived at his national Olympic house on Monday (August 2) after wining gold the night before.
Tamberi is the second Italian to win gold in the high jump after Sara Simeoni won the women's competition in Moscow in 1980.
Tamberi, who broke his ankle days before the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, hugged everyone he could find on the track. Draped in an Italian flag, he was also the first to embrace his compatriot Lamont Marcell Jacobs after his 100m win.
Speaking at Casa Italia, Tamberi said he had come a long way from his injury to clinching gold in Tokyo.
Tamberi agreed to share gold in the men's high jump with Qatar's world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim.
When Barshim finished level with Tamberi at 2.37 meters, facing a potential jump-off to decide the gold medal, he calmly asked the official: "Can we have two golds?"
The official nodded, both athletes hugged each other and whooped with joy before breaking off into celebratory circuits of the stadium.
"Two is better than one," said Tamberi.
(Production: Andy Ragg) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Olympic restriction: Clip cannot be re-published without additional clearances from the IOC.
