Barshim begins gold quest as upbeat Samba looks to excel

Qatar’s world champion athlete Mutaz Barshim will begin his quest for the country’s maiden Olympic gold when the men’s high jump competition starts tomorrow.

The London 2021 Games bronze winner and silver medallist in Rio four years later, 30-year-old Qatari superstar will be looking to clinch a gold when he goes up against the world’s best in Tokyo. Barshim has cleared the bar at 2.40m on 11 occasions since 2013, and that includes a 2.43m, the second best mark in the history of Men’s high jump since world record holder Javier Sotomayor.