TEHRAN, Iran — Barshim cleared a world-leading 2.38m in his 2018 indoor season opener to win the men’s high jump on Day 1 of the 8th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran on Thursday.
Barshim, who is from Qatar, entered the competition with the bar at 2.15m before going over 2.20m to see off his challengers early at the Aftab-e Enqelab Sports Complex.
The 2017 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athlete of the Year then turned the competition into an exhibition with clearances of 2.23m, 2.30m, 2.33m, 2.36m and the winning height 2.38m.
Barshim had three attempts at 2.40m but was unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, home favourite Hassan Taftian set a new Iran national record on his way to winning the men’s 60m dash.
The 24-year-old blasted to 6.51 seconds to take 0.04 seconds off his previous national record, which he set in Ashgabat last September.
Tosin Ogunode of Qatar picked up second place with a time of 6.63 secs, while Elakkiyadasan Kanadasan of India took the bronze in 6.67.
On the women’s side, Liang Xiaojing of China took the 60m race with a time of 7.20 seconds, while Nadezhda Dusanova of Uzbekistan won the women’s high jump and Irina Ektova of Kazakhtan topped the field in the triple jump with a mark of 13.79m.
Wang Chunyu of China won the 800m in 2:09.30.
