American high jumper Shelby McEwen divided fans on Saturday when she opted not to share gold with New Zealander Hamish Kerr at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“I couldn’t understand her decision and it cost her the gold in the end,” wrote one fan after McEwen fell to Kerr on a vault.
Others agreed with McEwen’s ultimately doomed decision to hold a playoff to decide first and second place.
“He wanted to be an Olympic champion, not a co-Olympic champion,” added one fan. “I respect that.”
First they set the bar higher. Then they lowered it. Wherever they set it, McEwen and Kerr couldn’t clear it. The two high jumpers, who could have decided to tie and both win a gold medal, instead left spectators to face an endless playoff for gold at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
American silver medalist Shelby McEwen celebrates her performance in the men’s high jump final
Men’s high jump gold medalist Hamish Kerr of New Zealand, center, silver medalist Shelby McEwen, left, of the United States, and bronze medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim
The two men missed 11 consecutive times — so many that there wasn’t enough room on the scoreboard for all the Xs — in regulation and in the jump-off. The bar was lowered twice during the jump-off, and Kerr finally broke the miss streak by clearing 7 feet, 8 inches (2.34 meters) to take the gold.
“Doing it the way I did was amazing,” Kerr said. “It was crazy.”
McEwen took silver, as he and Kerr both cleared 2.36 (7 feet 8.75 inches).
Heading into the final day of the Olympics, China led the United States in gold medals 39 to 38. If McEwen were to accept a tie for gold, the two superpowers would be tied.
A similar scenario occurred at the Tokyo Olympics and Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi decided to accept the draw.
Fan reaction to McEwen’s decision was noticeably divided during Saturday’s high jump final.
Second-ranked Shelby McEwen of the U.S. (left) shakes hands with first-ranked Hamish Kerr of New Zealand (right) after the men’s high jump final
Barshim took bronze on Saturday with a time of 2.34. Tamberi was eliminated early on.
“I have a lot of respect for what they did in Tokyo, but I always thought that to add to history and have the opportunity to do the jump would be amazing,” Kerr said. “I knew right away that we were going to make history and we did.
“I’m pretty sure Shelby was thinking the same thing because we looked at each other and it was pretty simple,” Kerr added. “We both nodded and walked away.”
McEwen added: “We talked amongst ourselves and he said, ‘Let’s get started.’ And I said, ‘I’m all for it.'”
Kerr celebrated the goal by running wildly across the pitch in the centre of the Stade de France.
Both failed at 2.38 in the first round of the jump-off, two others failed at 2.36 and McEwen failed at 2.34 before Kerr finally finished the first competition of the night just moments before the women’s 4×400 relay concluded the final track and field session at the Stade de France.
Shelby McEwen of Team USA competes in the men’s high jump
“If I hadn’t taken that leap or one very early on, we’d probably still be there,” Kerr said.
McEwen said he thought “we both got a little tired at the end,” adding that he was thinking about the $50,000 prize for first place. “I’ve got a family to feed, for sure. But hey, we’re going to start over and get better.”
Tamberi had earlier failed in all three of his attempts at 2.27, the second highest of the competition. He covered his face with his hands in disappointment and then Barshim came over to console his good friend.
Tamberi had suffered a series of physical problems in recent days. He was hospitalized for kidney stones and had a fever of 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit). But he vowed to compete no matter what.
When it was over, and Tamberi had finished 11th in the 12-man final, he walked over and cried with his team in the stands.
