Happy: Gianmarco Tamberi © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI

Gianmarco Tamberi: The Olympic champion is in the final

From an Italian perspective, all eyes were on the Stade de France at the Olympic Games in Paris on Wednesday. That's where flag bearer Gianmarco Tamberi took part in the action. The Olympic champion from Tokyo did his duty and moved into the final.

August 07, 2024

From: leo

The extroverted athlete from the Marche region has been making headlines in recent weeks, even though he has not yet competed in the defense of his title. First, he lost his wedding ring at the opening ceremony, but a few days ago he announced that he was suffering from a kidney stone and had a high fever. This delayed his departure to Paris by several days. However, the Italian did not consider giving up, saying: "This will be the most difficult race of my life."

On Wednesday morning, Tamberi had to qualify. The 2,20-year-old jumped the heights of 2,24 and 32 meters in his first attempt. However, he got stuck three times at 2,27 meters. But that was still enough to make it into the final of the best 12 in sixth place.

Mutaz Essa Barshim wants to defend his title. © APA/afp / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

The second Italian in the group, Stefano Sottile, will also be fighting for medals on Saturday at 19 p.m. In addition to Tamberi, Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) is the second big name to make it into the final. The American Shelby McEwen won the qualification round, not making a single mistake.