Alkass Digital
Qatar’s reigning Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim is set to steal limelight in Hangzhou as the high jump superstar will begin his quest for gold in the qualifying round today.
The three-time world champion has been in good form this season though he had to settle for a bronze in last August’s Budapest World Championships where he was targeting his fourth straight world title.
The 32-year-old was leading the 2023 Diamond League rankings before he opted to skip the final meet in Brussels last month.
Barshim, who holds the Asian record of 2.43m, will start as favourite but he is expected to get tough competition from South Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo and Syria’s Majd Eddin Ghazal. The high jump final is scheduled on Wednesday.