Ilya Ivanyuk wins the high jump in Lausanne (© Matt Quine)
As the Lausannois packed into the Place de l’Europe, or cast down their eyes from the panoramic viewpoint of the Grand Pont, with its picturesque nine arches, early on Wednesday evening (25), the eight high jumpers in the stand-alone City Event preceding the main Athletissima Wanda Diamond League programme were introduced by the man on the microphone.
The Swiss city on the northern shore of Lake Geneva became a corner of Little Italy as the locals acclaimed the man introduced as “Champion Olympique” and then, for good measure, as “Campione Olimpico.”
Gianmarco Tamberi, the great showman of track and field, milked the rousing applause and embarked on a lap of honour. As well he might, in his first competitive engagement since scaling the highest Olympian peak and transcending his sport with the 2.37m clearance that earned him Olympic gold.
One of two golds, of course. Mutaz Essa Barshim, with whom the pride of Offagna shared the Olympic title in Tokyo, would have been in Lausanne too had the Emir of Qatar not invited him to be his guest of honour at a celebratory function.
Still, Tamberi had the man who took bronze in Tokyo, also with 2.37m, European indoor champion Maksim Nedasekau, for company. Not that the Belarusian stayed in the contest for very long.
After passing at the opening height, 2.12m, Nedasekau was the first to bow out, registering three failures at 2.16m for a ‘no mark’ score.
Tamberi, urging the DJ to pump up the volume of his favourite track, enjoyed first-time clearances all the way up to 2.24m, though a rattle of the bar at that height was a sign of the troubles to come for the 29-year-old Italian.
He dislodged the upright with his first shot at 2.27m, chose to pass, then lay down in the sunken infield area with his face buried in his tracksuit top. His face was thunder when he failed at 2.30m.
A second blank at that height sealed the fate of the newly crowned joint Olympic champion. He performed a back flip, blew kisses to the sympathetic crowd, then watched as the joint world leader (with a 2.37m clearance from May), Ilya Ivanyuk claimed victory as the only one to nail 2.30m.
The world bronze medallist, who finished ninth in Tokyo, had the bar raised to 2.38m but could not manage to negotiate what for the authorised neutral athlete remains unconquered territory. Shelby McEwen of the USA finished runner up courtesy of a first-time 2.27m success, with Ukraine’s Andriy Protsenko third and Mexican Edgar Rivera fourth on the same height.
Tamberi (2.24m) was fifth, ahead of Switzerland’s Loic Gasch (also 2.24m) and 2007 world champion Donald Thomas of The Bahamas (seventh with 2.16m).
“I’m sorry,” Tamberi told the crowd. “It’s difficult when you win a gold medal after five years of trying. I will be back and I promise to jump higher next time.”
Later, in the mixed zone, he added: “After the Games and winning gold, I am still getting used to my win and I couldn't sleep for a few nights.
“I now have to get back into focus to jump higher again in Zurich. I am not going to set a limit and a height objective. For me, anything is possible."
The victorious Ivanyuk reflected: “The track was very bouncy. It helped me to jump well. At 2.38m, I had a good first jump but on the second and third I had a problem when my socks slipped away.
“Maybe at my next competition, in Zurich, I can jump a personal best. My goal this season was the Olympic Games. I jumped really well. The other guys were just much better.”
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
