Ready to soar in Rio

On 5 September 2014, in Brussels, Mutaz Barshim became the second highest man in history, with an effort of 2.43m (just 2 centimetres short of the world record set by Cuba's Javier Sotomayor in 1993). The Qatari is now fully focused on winning high jump gold in Rio.

Nursing an injury after a busy season, Barshim had to settle for bronze at London 2012. He then came a disappointing 4th at the 2015 worlds, after taking silver in 2013.

The slimline Qatari (1.88m, 70kg) has learned from past errors and limited his competitive appearances in recent months. Busy preparing with Polish coach Stanislaw Szczyrba, Mutaz is determined to head to Rio on top form.