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An Olympic High Jump competition that will go down in history

Hamish Kerr has won Olympic high jump gold in Paris! Kiwis can fly! 

It came down to a jump-off as Kerr and eventual silver medalist Shelby McEwan could not be separated after both missed all three attempts at 2.36m. Bronze medalist and reigning Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim passed his last attempt at 2.36 to have one attempt at 2.38 – a last-ditch attempt to propel himself to the gold medal. It was not to be for Barshim, and we headed to the jump-off. 

Both McEwan and Kerr missed their first attempts at 2.38 in the jump-off. The bar was lowered to 2.36; both missed at 2.36 but were dangerously close to making it over.

The bar was lowered to 2.34, a height Kerr had cleared easily on the first try. McEwan was the first to jump and failed to clear it, leaving the door open for Hamish Kerr to claim outright gold. It was sudden death.

Kerr delivered. He floated over 2.34 as the crowd and Kiwis worldwide erupted into cheers and celebrations. He delivered New Zealand’s first athletics gold medal since Valerie Adams at the London 2012 Olympics in the shot put—New Zealand’s first-ever medal in the high jump at the Olympic Games.