High Life

116 品 作 为田径界最为出色的运动员之 一，Mutaz Essa Barshim 于 2017年在摩纳哥格里马尔迪论坛举 办的2017年国际田联年度颁奖典礼 上将年度最佳男运动员奖收入囊中。 这是这个颇具重量的奖项首次被授予 一名跳高运动员，证明了Mutaz 在过 去数年的职业生涯中跳得多高、飞得 多远。 Mutaz 的名字在阿拉伯语中意指 “骄傲”。而这个令整个卡塔尔为之 骄傲的年仅25岁的跳高运动员在田径 界中迅速崛起，2012年在伦敦奥运 会摘下铜牌，2016年从里约奥运会 摘得银牌，2017年更一举在国际田 联世界锦标赛上斩获金牌。 “当我做到的那一刻，我感觉自 己的时刻来临了，赢得世界锦标赛的 感觉特别好，” 当《品》与这位年轻 的运动员在香港会面时，他很兴奋地 与我们分享自己的喜悦，“这个赛季 对我而言非常之棒。 “早先在伦敦时发生了些奇怪的 状况，那是第一次参加奥运会，也是 我一直以来的梦想。但就在比赛的前 十天，我受了伤，甚至不确定能否继 续参赛。尽管没有十足的把握，我还 是坚持上了场。看到竞技场的那一 刻，我就知道没有什么能够阻止我继 续跳高。在那种情况下，尽管只拿了 铜牌，但我觉得像金牌一样珍贵。 “这令我的整个生活发生了巨大 变化，给了我很多信心。四年之后拿 到银牌时，却有两种感觉，一方面很 开心我成为自己国家第一个赢得银牌 的人，但另一方面，我是为了夺金而 去的。 “奥运金牌是我现在唯一缺少 的，也是我2020年东京奥运会的目 标。” A lready recognized as one of sport’s finest athletes, Mutaz Essa Barshim soared to new heights in 2017 when he was named Male World Athlete of the Year at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2017, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. It was the first time the prestigious award had beenwon by a high jumper and was a testament to just how high Mutaz has flown over the past few years. With his name meaning “proud” in Arabic, the 25-year-old Qatari athlete has enjoyed a rapid ascension in the athletics world. Returning from the 2012 London Olympics with a bronze medal around his neck, he went one better in Rio in 2016 by winning silver then enjoyed his finest hour in 2017 with gold at the IAAFWorld Championships. “Winning at the World Championships was amazing,” Mutaz tells High Life when we meet in Hong Kong. “That was when I made it, when my moment arrived. It was a great season for me. “Before that, in London, it was a strange situation because it was my first Olympics ever and it was my dream just to be there, but 10 days before it started I got injured and wasn’t sure if I would be able to compete. I wasn’t 100% but still I went there and when I saw the arena I knew that nothing was going to stop me from jumping, so winning the bronze medal felt like a gold medal because of the circumstances.