“He’s Back!” said Qatar Athletics Federation’s twitter account on Wednesday evening heralding the return of world high jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim.
The legendary Qatari athlete, who has been chasing Cuban Javier Sotomayor’s mark of 2.45m, was laid low by an injury last July and underwent a surgery at Doha’s Aspetar sports clinic. He has bounced back to good health much earlier than expected.
The 27-year-old had suffered an ankle sprain which led to ligaments being damged while attempting to set a new world record height of 2.46 metres, after clearing a 2018 world-leading 2.40m in Hungary on July 2.
The 2017 IAAF World Athlete of the Year was expected to be fit by September 2019 in time for the world championships in Doha, but Barshim would now be participating in the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships at the Khalifa International Stadium to be held from April 21 to 24.
A few months ago, the high jumper had shared a short hospital clip on his twitter account which showed him going down a flight of stairs using a crutch.
That’s the past now. All his fans can now look forward to his gravity-defying acts once again at the Asian Championships.
“I’m not anxious. I received positive news from my doctors and the most important thing for me is to recover from injury and be fit 100 percent so that I can jump again,” Barshim had earlier said in a statement.
Back he is and that Barshim has been in good stead the last few days can also be judged from his recent tweet soon after he attended the grand opening of National Museum of Qatar on March 29th with Hollywood star Johnny Depp.
“Last night was amazing! Meeting the humble # johnnydepp , he told us so many crazy stories and the insane stunts he did on set. Not to mention the voice imitations and the Impressions,” Barshim had tweeted.
Barshim, who won the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London in 2017, has also won two Olympic medals which include silver at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and a bronze at the London Games in 2012.
Paying tribute to Barshim’s skill and potential, Sotomayor had recently said, “If I had to give a name for the person most likely to break the record, it’s (Barshim).”
The Asian Championships in Doha could well see the Qatari get back to what he does best before showcasing his talent once again on his home turf at the IAAF World Championships in September.
By Vinay Nayudu
