The Paris Olympics has been filled with controversies, heartbreaks, and moments of sheer brilliance. All these were encapsulated during the men’s high jump final on August 10. USA’s Shelby McEwen and New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr both cleared up to 2.36m with identical records, but the 2.38m height barrier proved to be too much for both athletes. With the chance to share the gold medal and repeat the heartwarming scenario of the Tokyo Olympics scenario, McEwen and Kerr went down the other route.

They would compete in 3 rounds of extra jumps for the coveted gold, a jump-off. Since neither of them cleared 2.38m, the bar was lowered to 2.36. McEwen took a shot at it first but missed. Kerr was up next and also missed. It was then lowered to 2.34m. In total 11 misses followed before the Kiwi was the first to glide over it effortlessly. And just like that, we had a new Olympic high jump champion, while McEwen had to be content with silver. Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim cleared his season’s best of 2.34m and walked away with an Olympic bronze.

Although initial reports suggested that McEwen refused to share gold, both athletes mutually agreed to the jump-off to determine the sole winner.

According to the Washington Post, McEwen said, “He said it first, and I agreed to it. At some point, I kind of got fatigued. I maybe would have shared it with him, for sure. But I agreed to it, and it was all good.” McEwen also mentioned why it was important for them to go to the jump-off.

“At the end of the day we all want to be champions and the only respectful thing to do is walk away with one champion,” he said. Yes, it would have been a treat for fans to see a moment of sportsmanship with both athletes sharing the medal, but competing to determine a single winner isn’t entirely wrong.

Olympians do train hard to be number one in their discipline and when there is an opportunity to get a clear-cut winner, the athletes involved can hardly be blamed for taking up the option. While the events of Tokyo, when Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim shared the medal do showcase the Olympic spirit, there was no obligation for Kerr and McEwen to do the same. Speaking after his win, Hashim Kerr echoed this sentiment.

“I have so much respect for what they did in Tokyo. But I always thought that to add to the story and to be able to be given the chance to actually do the jump-off would be so amazing,” Kerr said. He also explained how he and his opponent were already in agreement once a tie was confirmed.

He added, “I’m pretty sure Shelby was in the same mindset because we just looked at each other and it was pretty simple. We both just nodded and off we went.” Even though both athletes seemed satisfied with the outcome, there was some criticism for them, especially for McEwen.

Had he decided to share the medal, it would have put the USA on 39 gold medals, level with China, as the leading nation in the medal table. Talking about it afterward, McEwen admitted, “It never really went through my head.” And you can hardly blame the guy, given the fact he had to make the decision in the heat of the moment. Besides, Kerr asking for a jump-off meant McEwen’s competitive spirit was never going to shy away from the challenge.

Still many clamored to see a repeat of 2021 when Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim made history.

McEwen and Kerr missed out on recreating the 2020 Tokyo Olympics magic

The high jump finals at the Japanese capital had Gianmarco Tamberi, Mutaz Essa Barshim, and Maksim Nedasekau vying for the title. But much like in 2024, they had reached an impasse at the 2.39m. All three of the athletes had crossed over the 2.37m. But after several attempts, neither of them could jump beyond that. Seeing how Tamberi and Barshim were now tied, and the officials gave them the option of a jump-off. Barshim asked the official “Can we have two golds?” To which the official replied, “It’s possible, Depends if you decide.” 

Just as the official finished his sentence, Barshim told Tamberi, “History my friend. Olympic champions,” agreeing to sharing the medal. The Italian celebrated by jumping into the Qatari’s arms before both of them broke away to celebrate with their families in the stands. At the medal celebration, the world witnessed a scenario that spelled out the true essence of the Olympics: sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Maksim Nedasekau stood on the third step, while the duo shared the top step – the second step was left empty. Since then, fans haven’t been able to get over that magical moment. But, Paris was witness to a different sort of Olympic spirit.