New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr beats American Shelby McEwen in a jump off

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — First they put the bar up larger. Then they lowered it.

Wherever they put the bar, American Shelby McEwen and world indoor champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand couldn’t clear it. The 2 excessive jumpers, who might have determined to tie and each get a gold medal, as an alternative put followers via an interminable jump-off for the gold on the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

The 2 males had 11 straight misses — so many who there wasn’t sufficient room on the scoreboard for all of the Xs — in regulation and the jump-off. The bar was lowered twice throughout the jump-off, and Kerr lastly broke the streak of failures when he received over 2.34 meters (7 toes, 8 inches) to take the gold.

“To do it the way in which I did it was simply superb,” Kerr stated. “It was loopy.”

McEwen was left with the silver, each he and Kerr having cleared 2.36 (7 toes, 8.75 inches).

Going into the Olympics closing day, China led the U.S. in gold medals 39 to 38. If McEwen accepted a tie for gold, the 2 superpowers could be even.

On the Tokyo Olympics, the same state of affairs performed out and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy determined to just accept the tie.

Barshim took the bronze Saturday at 2.34. Tamberi was eradicated early on.

“I’ve a lot respect for what they did in Tokyo. However I at all times thought that so as to add to the story and to have the ability to be given the prospect to really do the jump-off could be so superb,” Kerr stated. “I knew immediately that we had been going to make historical past and we did that.

“I’m fairly positive Shelby was in the identical mindset as a result of we simply checked out one another and it was fairly easy,” Kerr added. “We each simply nodded and off we went.”

Added McEwen, “We talked to one another, and he was like, ‘Let’s leap off.’ And I used to be like, ‘I’m all for it.’”

Kerr celebrated by working across the area within the heart of the Stade de France deliriously.

They each missed at 2.38 within the first spherical of the jump-off, one other two misses at 2.36 and McEwen missed at 2.34 earlier than Kerr lastly ended the primary competitors of the night time solely moments earlier than the ladies’s 4×400 relay concluded the final session of observe and area on the Stade de France.

“If I hadn’t cleared that leap or one very quickly, we in all probability nonetheless could be on the market,” Kerr stated.

McEwen stated he thought “we each received slightly fatigued there on the finish,” including that he was fascinated with the $50,000 prize for first place. “Most positively, I received a household to feed. However, hey, we’re going to get again to the drawing boards and get higher.”

Earlier, Tamberi failed on all three of his makes an attempt at 2.27 — solely the second top of the competitors. He coated his face along with his palms in disappointment after which Barshim came to visit to console his good pal.

Tamberi had been bothered by a sequence of bodily points over the previous few days. He was hospitalized because of kidney stones and had a fever of 38.8 Celsius (101.8 Fahrenheit). However he vowed to compete it doesn’t matter what.

When it was over, and Tamberi had completed eleventh within the 12-man closing, he went over and cried along with his staff within the stands.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games