Gianmarco Tamberi had many chances of medals in the men’s high jump at Rio 2016. Then, something went very wrong.
Gianmarco Tamberi is the current European and indoor World Champion in the men’s high jump.
The 2016 looked like it was really his year: not only did he manage to jump highest than all his competitors, but he also set the new Italian national record – 2,39m. That measure was also the second best measure of the year, after Mutaz Essa Barshim’s (2,40m).
Everything was going so well in his career, and that national record during Monaco’s Diamond League last July 15th was only another cherry on top before the Olympics.
Having seen the 2,39, Gianmarco Tamberi didn’t stop jumping. He decided to raise the bar higher. Whilst attempting 2,41, though, he seriously injured his ankle. The injury was so bad that he needed surgery straight away. That meant saying goodbye to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
That of course broke Gianmarco’s heart. If you scroll back in his Instagram or Facebook account, you can see that Rio was his main goal since the disappointment of London 2012 – a kind of “positive” obsession of him.
Gianmarco Tamberi, an athelte that (mostly) everybody loves
Tamberi is such a character. People love and hate him because he’s got quite a personality and always says what the thinks without any filter.
Whether you like him or hate him, Gianmarco Tamberi is indeed a charismatic athlete. He manages to bring back the athletics under the spotlight in Italy. That’s quite good for the Italian athletics movement, which desperately needs characters like Gianmarco Tamberi to gain people’s attention.
Gimbo’s athletics teammates were so sorry about his injury that shot a video where the emulate Gianmarco’s half shave move, hoping to cheer him up a bit. In fact, Gianmarco Tamberi is known also for his typical half shave beard he sports every time he competes.
Looking forward to Tokyo 2020!
Gianmarco Tamberi is a great athlete, that’s no doubt about it. He’s still fairly young (he’s 24 years old) and he’s animated by an impressive passion for the sport overall, not only for the high jump. In fact, he’s interested in many sports, and basketball is his favourite one outside the track and field disciplines. Being quite tall as a high jumper, it’s not a surprise that he played basket for a while before start jumping.
“I like to involve the audience when I jump, the have to enjoy the show”
This is something that Gianmarco Tamberi says many many times, and in my opinion explains his deeper nature as an athlete and showman.
I’m sure that by getting older, Gianmarco will learn to better manage his “hunger” of doing too much – that’s what caused his injury. Being ambitious and extremely competitive is a natural reflects of the best athletes, after all.