"I Live and Breathe High Jump"

Published by Gulf Times on March 15, 2016

Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim holds a passport to the world’s elite high jump club. His smooth flight over the pole has not only won him the heart of the nation’s sport fans, but also proffered him a place of pride amongst international high flyers. 
The Olympic bronze medallist (London 2012) and former student of Aspire Academy, who boasts exceptional victories, enjoyed yet another triumph recently. He clinched not just the gold at the Asian Indoors championship held in Doha a few weeks ago, but in the process also won an unprecedented fourth straight Asian Indoor gold!

Clearing 2.43m in Brussels in 2014 (1.3 times his own height), the reigning World Indoor champion and Asian record holder leapt to stardom as he gained recognition as the second highest jumper of all time. This feat has taken him inches close to the longstanding, unbroken international record of 2.45m — set twenty three years ago by Cuban Javier Sotomayor.

Nicknamed the Qatari Falcon Mutaz, watching him in action is a sight for sore eyes as he jumps off his left foot, using the Fosbury Flop technique, with a pronounced backward arch over the bar. It does seem like he’s flying over the pole backwards!