SILESIA, Poland : Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi cleared 2.31 metres to win the Silesia Diamond League high jump in Katowice’s market square on Saturday, extending his fine form after claiming a fourth European title.
Former Olympic champion Tamberi was locked in a battle with Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford after both cleared 2.29 metres at the third attempt.
When Beckford failed with his final attempt after the bar was raised by two centimetres, Tamberi secured victory with one fewer failure before clearing 2.31 with his final jump.
The 34-year-old varied his approach throughout the competition, sometimes urging the crowd to clap along and at other times asking for silence. His choice of music ranged from classical to techno.
“The secret is to get motivated from everything,” Tamberi told TVP Sport.
“It was incredible, this kind of synergy. I felt that I could do anything.
“I felt that I could jump very high, as usual. Because this is probably my fifth time here, in Katowice, and it’s always like this. I thank the Polish fans for such an atmosphere.”
Tamberi, who cleared a season’s best 2.32 metres to win European gold last week, continued to entertain the crowd as he attempted 2.35, but rain began to fall on the city’s main square and he failed to clear the bar in three attempts.
“Unfortunately, it started to rain at the wrong time,” Tamberi said.
“It got a bit slippery and I was afraid of getting injured, so I made a few mistakes.”
Alyssa Jones, winner of the U.S. national championships in July, won the women’s long jump with her sixth and final attempt, matching Agate de Sousa’s 6.98 metres.
The remainder of the meeting will take place at the Silesian Stadium on Sunday, when Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen will run his first 1,500 metres race in almost a year in an eagerly awaited showdown with Olympic champion Cole Hocker.
