TEAM USA star Shelby McEwen left fans divided after turning down the opportunity to share high jump gold at the Paris Olympics.
McEwen ended up with a silver medal after agreeing to compete in a jumpoff with New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, who walked away with gold.
6
Shelby McEwen (right) agreed to a jump off with New Zealand high jumper Hamish KerrCredit: Getty
6
The decision cost McEwen, who ended up with a silver medalCredit: Getty
6
But McEwen was proud of his decision to crown a single championCredit: Getty
The decision cost Team USA the opportunity to win the overall medal table outright with 41 golds.
In the end, the Americans tied with China on 40 golds and topped the medal table by securing more silver medals.
Per the rules, Kerr and McEwen could have agreed to both receive gold medals after they cleared 2.36 meters but failed to go any higher.
It was a situation which happened in Tokyo in 2021 when Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi memorably agreed to share gold.
But McEwen and Kerr decided to compete in a jumpoff to ensure a single champion, which the New Zealander eventually won with a jump of 2.34m.
“I have so much respect for what they did in Tokyo,” Kerr said.
“But I always thought that to add to the story and to be able to be given the chance to actually do the jump-off would be so amazing.
“I knew straight away that we were going to make history and we did that.
“I’m pretty sure Shelby was in the same mindset because we just looked at each other and it was pretty simple.
“We both just nodded and off we went.”
McEwan revealed he thought about the $25,000 he would collect from World Athletics as a joint champion – but decided to go ahead with the jumpoff.
McEwan told the Washington Post: “He said it first, and I agreed to it.
“At some point, I kind of got fatigued. I maybe would have shared it with him, for sure.
“But I agreed to it, and it was all good.
“At the end of the day, he wanted to jumpoff.
6
6
McEwen secured a personal best during the Paris OlympicsCredit: Getty
“At that point, I wasn’t going to go back and forth with it and argue with him.
“He wanted to jumpoff, and I was all in for it.”
The 28-year-old American defended his decision, even though it cost USA another gold medal.
“If it was meant to be it would’ve been,” McEwen said at a press conference.
“Shout out to Hamish for coming up to me, accepting a jump off and I accepted it and I was all for it.”
The jumpoff proved a huge letdown, with both athletes missing 11 jumps in a row before Kerr emerged the victor.
Both athletes missed at 2.38m and 2.36m before the bar was lowered to 2.34m.
“I mean, hey, he got the gold and I got the silver. At the end of the day, like he said it’s a sport,” McEwen added.
“I mean I represent my country, just like he’s representing his. I’m representing my family just like he’s representing his,.
“At the end of the day we all want to be champions and the only respectful thing to do is walk away with one champion.”
McEwen remains proud of his efforts, which included a personal best, as he looks ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I came up short of the gold,” McEwen said.
“But I’m still thankful for what I got.”
6
McEwen is now looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles OlympicsCredit: Getty
News
WATCH: Al Michaels Faces Backlash for ‘Ridiculous’ Comments on Tua Tagovailoa’s Head Trauma & Damar Hamlin’s Incident
Al Michaels on TNF (Photo via TNF on Amazon Prime) It’s been a very rough night for the Miami Dolphins. And you can probably say the same…
Travis Kelce vs. Elon Musk? Fans Demand a Showdown After Musk’s ‘Creepy’ X Post About Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and Elon Musk (Photos via Getty Images) Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, is being blasted on his X social media…
BREAKING: Taylor Swift Issues Major Relationship Alert to Travis Kelce Before the NFL Season Begins
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) The relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift has taken over the NFL world like wildfire. Last…
Shannon Sharpe’s Future at ESPN in Jeopardy: Will the Network Fire Him After Controversial Tape Scandal?
Shannon Sharpe is scheduled to return to ESPN’s First Take next week, following an accidental Instagram live stream that raised concerns about his future with the network. The incident,…
Everybody Said The Same Thing About Damar Hamlin After He Gave Tua Tagovailoa A Concussion & Knocked Him Out Of TNF Game
Damar Hamlin and Tua Tagovailoa (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was injured at the end of a scramble in the third quarter. Tagovailoa left the…
Scandal or Strategy? Shannon Sharpe Accused of Exploiting NSFW Tape to Sidestep Gay Allegations
Shannon Sharpe has been milking this sex scandal during his podcast with Chad Ocho Cinco, the jokes level is off the charts and some are even starting…
End of content
No more pages to load