Gianmarco Tamberi’s defense of his Olympic high jump title is in doubt after the Italian experienced the same stabbing kidney pain that led him to visit the hospital days before the preliminary round. The 32-year-old, who shared gold with Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealed he awoke at 5 am on Saturday experiencing “stabbing” pain from kidney colic – acute pain in the kidney area caused by an obstruction – that had bothered him a few days earlier.
Tamberi took to Instagram to express his disappointment, stating, “It’s all finished. I hoped until the very end, I believed in spite of all that had happened. It’s been 5 hours and the pain is still not over. I managed to beat fate once after that injury in 2016 (an ankle injury that required surgery), this time unfortunately I really think he won.”
Despite the pain, Tamberi displayed remarkable determination, adding, “I’m speechless, truly, so sorry. Will I take to the stage anyway this evening? Yeah, but I really don’t know how I’m going to jump in these conditions.”
Both Tamberi and Barshim advanced to Saturday’s final, but the Italian’s performance was far from smooth, as he failed to clear 2.27 meters on three attempts, while the Qatari managed to overcome an injury and clear the height after extensive treatment.
Tamberi’s kidney pain had already caused disruptions earlier in the week. Three days before the preliminary round, he posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed after being taken ill, leading to delays in his travel plans to France.
The Italian’s condition casts a shadow over his title defense, raising questions about his ability to compete at his best in the final. His resilience in overcoming past injuries has earned him admiration, but the persistent kidney pain presents a significant challenge to his Olympic ambitions.
