Barshim: “That jump in Brussels has changed my life”

September 5th is for always on Barshim’s mind. That day he jumped 2.43m, 2cm short of the 23 year old World Record of Javier Sotomayor.

“To jump 2.43m in Brussels has changed my life. The feeling was absolutely awesome, it felt like flying. It was an attempt that I had always dreamt of, I lived my dream. That night my emotions were so strong that I couldn’t sleep.”

At the Olympics Barshim finished in second behind Canadian Derek Drouin. “I’m very happy with the Silver Medal. I jumped technically fine in Rio and small details decide on the color of a medal. That is what high performance sports is all about.

“My strength lies in my speed and in my agility. I think it’s not a good idea for me to go out in the fitness room and lift weights all day. High Jumping is about finding the right balance between all your capabilities.”

“I missed a few Diamond Races due to injuries but to my surprise I’m still in to win the Diamond Race.” Bondarenko, Kynard and Grabarz are all in contention to win the Diamond Race and it will be a thrilling event. “In the Final you win double points and that can be decisive. I expect that 2.40m will be required to win the event.”