DOHA: Mutaz Barshim was at the centre of one of most memorable moments of the Tokyo Olympics and the high jumper will again carry a large part of Qatar’s hopes of medal success on his slender shoulders in his fourth Summer Games in Paris.
The 32-year-old’s shared gold medal was not the only one secured by the Gulf State in Tokyo and Egypt-born weightlifter Fares Ibrahim will also be back to defend the middle-heavyweight title he won three years ago.
Sherif Younes and Ahmed Tejan, the beach volleyball duo who won bronze in Japan, are well on their way to qualification for Paris but it is the athletics competition, and Barshim in particular, that most Qatari eyes will be focused on.
Three-times a world champion and an Olympic silver medallist in London and Rio, Barshim said recently that he does not display his impressive collection of trophies for fear that complacency might blunt his competitive spirit.
“If you come to my house, you will not see any medals. There are no medals, no trophies, nothing,” he told Eurosport. “I hide everything because I don’t want to feel that satisfaction that I’ve done so much. One day, hopefully, when I retire, I take everything back, I’ll look at it and enjoy it. But for now, I want to do the most.