Kiwi Kerr secures both the world high jump championship and the Olympic gold medal
New Zealand Athlete Hamish Kerr Wins Gold in High Jump at Tokyo World Championships
Hamish Kerr, a 29-year-old athlete from New Zealand, claimed the gold medal in the high jump final at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships on Wednesday night. Kerr's victory marks the second gold medal for New Zealand in Tokyo.
Kerr's triumph came just a day after his fellow New Zealander, Geordie Beamish, won the first gold medal for New Zealand at the championships in the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase on Monday night. The two athletes shared a special moment as they both won world titles on the same day.
In the high jump final, Kerr matched his personal best of 2.36 metres at the first attempt. He faced stiff competition, as seven jumpers remained at 2.31m, despite the absence of champions Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi. Three-times gold medallist Barshim pulled out of the championships due to a foot injury, and Tamberi, who won the title two years ago, failed to get through qualifying.
Kerr and Woo Sang-hyeok, a South Korean athlete, both cleared 2.34 metres in the final, but Kerr won due to a clutch jump. Woo, who previously won a silver medal three years ago, finished second and won a silver medal.
The absence of Barshim and Tamberi guaranteed a first-time champion in the high jump final. Jan Stefela from the Czech Republic and Oleh Doroshchuk from Ukraine tied for third place, both clearing 2.31 metres but failing all three attempts at 2.34 metres.
Shelby McEwen, an American athlete who won silver behind Kerr in Paris last year, failed to qualify for the high jump final. Kerr expressed that winning when other athletes are not jumping well is not fun, but he mentioned that Beamish gave him motivation to win after his win the previous night.
Kerr stated that competing against other athletes for the gold medal was special, and he expressed that he was delighted to bring home another gold medal for New Zealand. With this victory, Kerr has added another chapter to the success story of New Zealand athletics on the world stage.
