Tag: High Jump

An Italian high jumper literally pulled springs from his shoes after winning the European championship

The absolute madlad jumped 7-foot-6 with actual springs in his shoe.

Gianmarco Tamberi is one of the world’s best high jumpers. He’s also one of the most endearing personalities in track and field.

The Italian star gave us one of the 2021 Summer Olympics’ best memories when he and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim opted to share gold in the event rather than force a jumpoff to crown a single champion. He didn’t have to hit that 2.37-meter (7-foot-8) mark to win gold at this year’s European Athletics Championships. A 2.34-meter jump was enough to top the standings.

And friends, if this was merely a world class jump, it wouldn’t be much of a story. But Tamberi is a madman, an athlete who fails to allow the stressors of elite competition to get to him. First, he showed up to the track looking like Will Forte in The Last Man on Earth:

via https://x.com/CitiusMag/status/1800628398047347067

Then, after clearing the bar, he excitedly dropped to the ground to take off the shoe on his left foot — the same one he just jumped from to win gold. Inside? About 50 clickable ballpoint pens’ worth of tiny springs. Make sure you’ve got your speakers on to hear one of the most joyful, authentic “mamma mia!” calls you’ll ever get from an Italian track announcer.

There are very few notable or original celebrations in track and field. Even Usain Bolt’s victory pose, famous as it may be, is pretty basic. But Tamberi went full Joe Horn with his celebration, planning it out well in advance to the potential detriment of his own performance. THE MAN JUMPED HIGHER THAN 7-FOOT-6 WITH HONEST TO GOODNESS SPRINGS IN HIS SHOE.

To which we say, hell yeah, brother. Can’t wait to see what he’s got planned for this year’s Olympics in Paris.

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Nebraska Track & Field Medal Winners at Big Ten Championships

Nebraska Track & Field had a successful weekend at the Big Ten Track & Field Championships in Minneapolis!

The Nebraska Cornhuskers Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams competed in the 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Minneapolis over the weekend. The Ohio State Buckeyes doubled up and won both the men’s and women’s conference championships, with the women’s team repeating as back-to-back conference champions.

The Buckeyes won the women’s title with a meet record 185.5 team points, while Nebraska finished in fifth place behind Ohio State and Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Penn State. Husker high jumper Jenna Rogers and javelin thrower Maddie Harris were named first-team all-conference.

The men’s title saw OSU score 124 points for the league championship while Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nebraska finished second, third, and fourth. The Cornhuskers had six different team members named first-team all-conference. They were Max Otterdahl (Shot Put/Discus), Mayson Conner (High Jump), Jacob Hyde (4x400m), Alex Nelson (4x400m), Cory Berg (4x400m), and Nick Bryant (4x400m).

The Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year, Field Athlete of the Year, and Freshman of the Year will be announced on June 15th, following the completion of the NCAA National Championships.