Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim made his first start of 2026. At the competitions in Doha, Qatar, the high jumper won gold.
In the new 2026 season, Barshim made his first start — competing at a home tournament in Doha. Mutaz performed at the 2026 Gulf Games (GCC Games), where he cleared 2.16 m. With this result, the Qatari representative won the “gold” of the tournament, which he shared with Fatak Beit Jaboub from Oman, who also cleared this bar.
Gulf Games 2026. High Jump (Men)
- 1. Mutaz Barshim (Qatar) — 2.16 m
- 1. Fatak Beit Jabub (Oman) — 2.16 m
- 3. Ahmed Altaruti (Saudi Arabia) — 2.09 m
The Gulf Games were Barshim's first tournament since April 2025. Then, at the competitions in Doha, Mutaz made his only start of the 2025 season: with a jump of 2.13 m, he won the “silver” of the West Asian Club Championship. Due to the injury that the Qatari representative suffered at that tournament, he missed the 2025 World Athletics Championships. After the world championship, Mutaz planned to end his career, but due to non-participation in the championship, he postponed his decision.
The last top tournament for Barshim is the 2024 Olympics in Paris. At the Games in France, Mutaz jumped 2.34 m, winning Olympic bronze.
Mutaz Barshim: what is known about the athlete?
- Four-time Olympic medalist: winner of the gold medal in Tokyo 2020 (jointly with Gianmarco Tamberi), silver in London 2012 and Rio 2016, and bronze in Paris 2024.
- Three-time world high jump champion. Won gold at the 2014 World Indoor Championships. Also won at the 2014 World Indoor Championships.
- With a jump of 2.43 meters from 2014, he has the third best result in the history of the discipline. Only the current world record holder, Cuban Javier Sotomayor, has jumped higher than Barshim.