Latest news with #WhatGravityChallenge
Qatar Tribune
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Record bonuses will offer added incentives for athletes at Jetour Doha Diamond League meeting: Barshim
Tribune News Network Doha At a packed press conference ahead of the 2025 Jetour Doha Meeting (Friday 16 May), Qatar star and former Olympic high jump champion Mutaz Barshim spoke on behalf of everyone in the room when he said, 'It's important that we take care of the athletes.' A great ambassador for the sport and his country, the 33-year-old launched his own innovative event in 2024 - the 'What Gravity Challenge' - bringing together a group of the world's best high jumpers at the spectacular Katara Amphitheatre in Doha. The successful second edition of the event, which included men and women for the first time, took place on 9 May. On this occasion he was talking about the $5000 bonus payments on offer to athletes who set new meeting records at the 2025 Diamond League event in his home city: 'Track and field isn't an easy job,' he said, 'It's tough out there and when it comes to the financial part of the sport you can be fourth or fifth in the world and you might still need a job (when you retire). Change is good and we're moving in the right direction.' Barshim, a multiple Olympic medallist, won an unprecedented third successive global title with victory at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene 2022. He will target 'one more medal' at this year's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, before the Asian Games in 2026, an event which is very close to his heart. The issue that sadly kept him out of his own meeting last week will potentially keep him out of tomorrow's showpiece, but his commitment to the sport and his supporters was clear. 'I want to jump at home, this is the place I care about most,' he said. 'It was a really difficult moment not to be able to jump last week, and it's the same again here. We have responsibilities in this sport and we put our bodies on the line and part of that means injuries. If you don't push yourself to the limit you don't know how far you can go.' Joining Barshim on the top table were Katie Moon (USA), Letsile Tebogo (BWA), Hamish Kerr (NZL) and Neeraj Chopra (IND). Still at the start of his promising career, Olympic champion Kerr admitted he grew up watching and supporting Barshim. 'To see him lead the way in our sport is inspiring,' he said of his friend and rival. 'The high jump is very open right now and for me, at this time, it's about learning from each competition and building. Physically I'm in really good shape but I've not yet been able to fully connect, but that's what's so good about having these chances to compete.' 28-year-old Kerr won the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships with a national record and Oceania best of 2.36m, upgrading his 2022 bronze. He matched that height in Paris, winning Olympic gold after a jump-off. The Commonwealth champion most recently finished second in the 2025 World Indoors. Like the men's high jump, the women's pole vault is equally competitive. 'On any given day there are several of us who can walk away with a win and it keeps me motivated to stay on top of my game,' said Moon, the 2021 Olympic champion and two-time world champion (Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023) who won silver in Paris last summer. 'I'm feeling great,' she continued. 'This is the best string of training I've put together the last couple of years. I felt really good this indoor season and so far, knock on wood, it's been really good. Having jumped here in the past it's a great runway and perfect conditions and I'm very excited. I really love jumping here.' The Doha meeting record for the women's pole vault is 4.84m (Sandi Morris, USA, 2018 and 2021). 'If I jump that this early it would be huge (from a confidence-perspective),' said Moon. 'The money is just an added bonus.' There is a good chance Olympic champion Tebogo could break the meeting record for the 200m. Currently 19.67 by Kenny Bednarek in 2024, Tebogo - a world 100m silver and 200m bronze medallist in 2023 - is more than capable. He clocked an area record of 19.46 to take victory in Paris and in doing so made history by claiming his country's first Olympic gold medal in any sport. It was the fastest time in the world in 2024 and moved him to fifth on the world all-time list. 'A good performance would be to finish healthy,' he said, modestly. Of all the Doha meeting records, the men's javelin mark of 93.90m (Thomas Rohler, GER, 2019) is arguably the toughest to conquer. 'It's the Diamond League record so it's very hard!' laughed 2024 Olympic javelin silver medallist Chopra. Chopra is the reigning world and Asian Games champion and is India's national record holder with a best of 89.94m. He made history in Tokyo when he became the country's first Olympic gold medallist in track and field and that trend continued at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest when he became the first athlete from India to strike gold. As the press conference drew to a close, it was Barshim, fittingly, that had the last laugh. The men's high jump meeting record in Doha - which is his, of course - is 2.40m. As conversation turned to what was possible tomorrow night, and who might leave with the $5000 bonus payments, he turned to young pretender Kerr and smiled; 'If you jump 2.41m, I'll triple that for you!!'. A challenge or a gift. Time will tell.
Qatar Tribune
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Doha Diamond League: 45 Olympic and World medallists to be on show
Dohadiamondleague Last year's event brought an incredible party atmosphere to the Qatar Sports Club and the athletes responded by treating the sell-out crowd to four world leading performances and two meeting records. Organisers have confirmed that in 2025, for the first time, athletes who set new meeting records in Doha (across all disciplines) will be awarded a $5000 bonus. Together with a record prize pot of $9.24 million across the Wanda Diamond League series, the announcement marks another welcome addition for athletes. Across a packed programme, highlights are expected to include the men's 200m, men's high jump, men's javelin, women's steeplechase, women's pole vault and men's discus. Notably, the women's 100m features Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, one of the most decorated athletes of all time, and gives Doha athletics fans the chance to celebrate the global track icon in her final year of competition. Men's 200m Olympic 200m champion and World Athlete of the Year Letsile Tebogo (BWA) is the standout athlete in the men's 200m. The 21-year-old, a world 100m silver and 200m bronze medallist in 2023, clocked an area record of 19.46 to take victory in Paris and in doing so made history by claiming his country's first Olympic gold medal in any sport. It was the fastest time in the world in 2024 and moved him to fifth on the world all-time list. Tebogo, who will race in the Doha Diamond League for the first time, ran sub-20 seconds for 200m on nine occasions in 2024. Men's high jump Reigning Olympic champion Hamish Kerr (NZL) and former Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim (QAT) are the headline names in the men's high jump field. The 28-year-old Kerr – an athlete who has rightly grown in confidence over the past 12 months – won the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships with a national record and Oceania best of 2.36m, upgrading his 2022 bronze. He matched that height in Paris, winning Olympic gold after a jump-off. He finished second at the 2025 World Indoors in China following a series of early season victories in New Zealand. Barshim, who finished third in Paris, is also a two-time Olympic silver medallist (2012 and 2016). A true championship performer, he won an unprecedented third successive global title with victory at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene 2022. A great ambassador for the sport and his country, the 33-year-old launched his own innovative event in 2024 – the 'What Gravity Challenge' – bringing together a group of the world's best high jumpers at the spectacular Katara Amphitheatre in Doha. The 2025 edition of the 'What Gravity Challenge' took place on Friday 9 May and was won by Korea's Sanghyeok Woo (2.29m). Ryoichi Akamatsu (JPN) and Raymond Richards (JAM) – who will both take part in the Jetour Doha Meeting – finished second and third respectively with 2.26m. Men's javelin Olympic javelin silver medallist Neeraj Chopra (IND), the reigning world and Asian Games champion, will compete at the Jetour Doha Meeting for the third successive year. Chopra is India's national record holder with a best of 89.94m and he has a massive following in Qatar. He was the first Indian track and field athlete to set a world record (under-20) when he threw 86.48m to win the 2016 World U20 Championships, which was also the first time an Indian athlete had won a global track and field title. He made history in Tokyo (2021) when he became the country's first Olympic gold medallist in track and field and that trend continued at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest when he became the first athlete from India to strike gold. Although finishing runner-up to Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem in Paris 2024, Chopra delivered the second-best throw of his career (at the time) with 89.45m. He impressively improved that mark to 89.49m at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne two weeks later. The Doha javelin competition has built a reputation for its high quality in recent years and this year's edition should be no different as Chopra – who is now coached by Jan Zelezny (CZE), the world javelin record holder (98.48m) and a multiple Olympic and world champion – headlines a field that includes Olympic bronze medallist, former world champion and Diamond League champion Anderson Peters (GRN); former Olympic and world silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (CZE); former European champion Julian Weber (GER); former world champion and Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego (KEN); and former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott (TTO). Women's steeplechase Olympic champion Winfred Yavi (BRN) will be reunited with Paris silver and bronze medallists Peruth Chemutai (UGA) and Faith Cherotich (KEN) in a top-quality women's 3000m steeplechase field in Doha. Yavi – the Asian record holder with a best of 8:44.39 (Rome, 2024) – is the second-fastest women's steeplechaser of all time and holds three of the ten quickest times ever recorded. She is currently the reigning Olympic, world and Asian Games champion and has said she wants to 'run fast and set a high standard' in her Diamond League season-opener. Ugandan record-holder Chemutai, who won the Olympic title in Tokyo (2021), is ranked third-fastest all-time with a best 8:48.03 achieved at the 2024 Diamond League event in Rome where she finished second to Yavi. Women's pole vault Katie Moon (USA) and Alysha Newman (CAN) – who won silver and bronze medals respectively at the Olympic Games in Paris – will clash again in Doha alongside last season's victor Molly Caudery (GBR), the British record holder (4.92m) and 2024 world indoor champion. Moon, a two-time world champion (Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023), was Olympic champion in Tokyo 2021 and has a best of 4.95m. She was a world indoor medallist in 2022 (silver) and 2024 (bronze) and was crowned Diamond League champion in 2023. She had her best ever indoor season but chose to forego the World Indoor Championships with her ultimate goal for the year to retain her world title in Tokyo. Men's discus Olympic discus bronze medallist Matt Denny (AUS) – ranked second on the world all-time list after his impressive 74.78m throw in Ramona in April – will compete against reigning world champion and former Olympic champion Daniel Stahl (SWE) and 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh (SLO) at the Jetour Doha Meeting. Women's 100m All eyes will be onmultiple Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) as she opens her 2025 Wanda Diamond League season in Doha. The global track icon, now 38-years-old, became the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic women's 100m title at the Beijing Games in 2008 and successfully defended her title in London 2012. She has won a record five global 100m titles to date, including at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha (where she also won 4 x 100m relay gold), and was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year at the prestigious 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards. Third-fastest of all-time over 100m with a best of 10.60s (Lausanne, 2021), she last competed at the Diamond League meeting in Doha in 2021 where she took victory in the 100m in 10.84s (+1.1m/s). 'Doha holds a special place in my heart, and I'm truly excited to return for this year's Diamond League,' said the 'Pocket Rocket' who will be up against recently crowned world indoor 60m champion and reigning European champion Mujinga Kambundji (SUI). Eight reigning individual Olympic and world champions will compete at the Jetour Doha Meeting and in addition to those already mentioned are Thea LaFond (DMA), Olympic triple jump gold medallist in Paris, and Serbia's Ivana Spanovic (Vuleta), world long jump gold medallist in Budapest (who will compete in the triple jump in Doha). The Jetour Doha Meeting is the third meeting of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League. The series – which started in Xiamen on 26 April – comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field across four different continents and concludes with a single final across two days in Zurich (27-28 August).
Qatar Tribune
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Sheikh Joaan attends What Gravity Challenge
DOHA: P resident of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani attended part of the competitions of the second edition of What Gravity Challenge, held at the Katara Amphitheater on Friday. The event featured a stellar lineup of world and Olympic high jump champions, including several Olympic medalists such as Shelby McEwen and Hamish Kerr. For the first time, the championship also welcomed some of the sport's leading women athletes, including Ukrainian world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Australia's Eleanor Patterson, and Germany's Christina Honsel. The event was also attended by Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain; President of the Asian Athletics Association Dahlan Al Hamad; President of the Qatar Athletics Federation Mohammed Issa Al Fadala; and General Manager of Katara Cultural Village Dr Khalid Al Sulaiti, along with a number of prominent sports figures.
Qatar Tribune
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Qatar Tribune
World's best high jumpers back in Doha to dazzle in 2025 What Gravity Challenge at Katara Amphitheatre
Tribune News Network Doha Fans worldwide will once again witness the world's best high jumpers defy expectations at the second edition of the 'What Gravity Challenge', set to take place on Friday at the iconic Katara Amphitheatre. The highly competitive high jump-only event is the brainchild of reigning three-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Mutaz Barshim, who created a platform where top athletes can push their limits in front of a global audience. Barshim, while speaking to the media on Thursday said he is focused on inspiring future generations.'This event started to honor and empower athletes, It's about creating a movement, challenging limits, celebrating talents, and doing it in the heart of Qatar and beyond,' he said. This year's edition will feature top male stars including Olympic medalists Shelby McEwan, and Hamish Kerr, alongside the event's founder Mutaz Barshim. And for the first time, the challenge will also spotlight the world's top women athletes such as World No. 1 Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Eleanor Patterson, and Christina Honsel, marking a major milestone in the event's evolution toward greater inclusivity and global representation. The elite jumpers will battle it out for a $155,000 prize pool, with the winner taking home the unique trophy crafted by renowned Qatari artist Ahmed Al Bahrani, symbolizing both athletic excellence and cultural heritage. Ukraine's Mahuchikh, who holds the women's high jump world record, expressed her excitement about competing in Doha. She praised the unique concept of 'defying gravity' and described Qatar as a welcoming and inspiring host country. 'I'm in a strong physical and mental state, and I'm excited to begin my season here,' Mahuchikh said. 'This competition offers a unique atmosphere and a platform to push the limits of what we can achieve.' The elite jumpers will battle it out for a $155,000 prize pool, with the winner taking home the unique trophy crafted by renowned Qatari artist Ahmed al-Bahrani, symbolizing both athletic excellence and cultural heritage. Qatar Athletics Federation President Mohammed Issa al-Fadala said the inaugural edition of the What Gravity Challenge was a resounding success and expressed confidence in an even more remarkable outcome this season at Katara. The 2025 What Gravity Challenge is supported by Visit Qatar, Ooredoo, Puma, Cosette, Jetour, Bornan and in collaboration with Katara, Alkass, and Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel. This event will be broadcast globally by Alkass, beIN SPORTS, World Athletics, and the Ukraine Public Broadcaster, ensuring that fans across continents can witness the competition. For more details, visit or book tickets at List of participants Men: Mutaz Barshim (Qatar), Juwon Harrison, Shelby McEwen (USA), Hamish Kerr (New Zealand), Brandon Stark (Australia), Jan Steffela (Czech Republic), Ryochi Akamatsu (Japan), Raymond Richards (Jamaica), Donald Thomas (Bahamas), Edgar Rivera (Mexico), Marco Fassinotti (Italy) Women: Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Yuliia Levchenko (Ukraine), Kristina Gonsal, Imke Onnen (Germany), Eleanor Patterson (Australia), Charity Gavinagel (USA), Maria Zhodzik (Poland), Morgan Lake (Great Britain), Mikela Gruba (Czech Republic), Nadezhda Dubovitskaya (Kazakhstan).
