By Sevket F. ERBAY
If you ask any follower in athletics to select some events which are staging close results or levelled conditions, usually all answers would indicate on high jump or pole vault. These two vertical jumping contests, or maybe generally all jumping events including horizontal ones, generally draw close marks in the result sheet and sometimes they are seperated by second/third best mark in the competition as a tie-break rule. Especially in the high jump, one centimetre could be a decider gold and silver or even nothing.
When studying all international competitions in our database, we had very unique findings: Some different races from cross country running or marathon to 400 hurdles can be equalling at the end.
High jump (138) and pole vault (67) represent the majority (%82) of all 248 sharing-medals, but rest are from different classes: steeplechase, 400 metres to 5000 metres, hurdles, marathon, even the cross-country or race walking!
We compiled of 10 most remarkable podiums about medal-sharing debate.
10: Commonwealth Games 2010, Women's PV
Held in Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, the competition produced five medallists. Australian Alana Boyd and Cypriot Marianna Zachariadi who died three years later from illness, reached the same height (4.40m) but split by attempts and they were followed by four contestants who all cleared 4.25 metres. England's Kate Dennison with Canadians Carly Dockendorf and Kelsie Henry cleared 4.25 at first for equalling to win a bronze medal. Australian Amanda Bick just missed joining this trio after the first attempt failed, although she eventually jumped 4.25.
9: Asian Games 2002, Men's HJ
30-year old Korean high jumper Lee Jin-taek successfully defended his Asian Games title in front of his home crowd in Busan. In the award ceremony, he stood with three fellow men on the right side by nobody else on the left. All three silver medallists, Asian champion Cui Kai of China and his compatriot Wang Zhouzhou alongside with another Korean Kim Tae-hoi, have all failed 2.23 attempts, and the mark bought gold medal to Lee.
8: Francophonie Games 2005, Women's Marathon
Only five women were contested marathon race in Niamey 2005 Games, and two of them won it. French marathon champion Celine Cormerais and her team-mate Elena Fetizon passed through to finish line together in 2 hours 45 minutes and 38 seconds. Both awarded gold medals ahead of third-placed Epiphani Nyirabarame of Rwanda.
7: World Indoor Games 1985, Women HJ
Sixteen women competed Paris-Bercy in first-ever World-class gathering in indoor athletics. 20-year old Bulgarian sensation Stefka Kostadinova emerged that night as a future star by jumping 1.97 metres national record. Swedish Susanna Lorentzon also had NR by 1.94 metres, huge increase from her previous best. Bronze medal shared by three women, 32-year old Debbie Grill, former World Indoor record holder, Silvia Costa from Cuba and Polish Danuta Bulkowska.
6: Olympics 1992/2012, Men's HJ
Two-time Olympic boycott victim Javier Sotomayor finally get a chance to compete at Olympics in Barcelona. He was very confident throughout the season and secured his anticipated title after a tight contest with first attempt clearance in 2.34 metres. Four guys were cleared same in their second, but there was a small exemption that bought a silver medal to former World record holder Patrik Sjöberg: He had no fail at countback, but the following trio (Partyka, Forsyth and Conway) has one each. The official result sheet was looking identical: 2.34 metres to five guys at the podium even though they were awarded with medals of different colors.
20 years later, a similar competition held in London Olympics, having five men at the podium in high jump, however, gold medallist Ivan Ukhov's medal officially dropped after doping sanction, so four men left on the list with a hole in top position.
5: World U20 Champs 2018, Men's HJ
Unique example about what we are discussing in that specific issue. At the high jump podium of the 2018 World U20 Championships in Tampere, all four young men jumped 2.23 metres. Meanwhile, two of them got the gold as other two shared the bronze medal with the same result. Greek Antonios Merlos - made PB - and Mexican Roberto Vilches had stepped forward by clearing 2.23 in first attempts. Co-leaders of the competition JuVaughn Blake and Breyton Poole both lost their grip on gold after their respective fails at same height. Both men took bronze in the end of this no-silver contest.
4: Olympics 1908, Men's PV
Just copied here Mark Butler's detailed explanation in Olympics Statsbook: “The qualifying competition was held on the morning of 24 July in three sections, with Söderström winning the first section with 3.58 from Jacobs – 3.50. Cooke won the next section with an Olympic record 3.71 ahead of Gilbert – 3.66 – and Archibald 3.58. Bellah won the last section with 3.43. Performances were carried forward to the final, and Gilbert outjumped Cook 3.71 to 3.66 in a competition disrupted by the excitement surrounding the finish of the marathon. The two shared the gold medal on the basis of Cook’s earlier 3.71, with Archibald, Jacobs and Söderström sharing third place after all three cleared 3.58.”
3: South American 1958, Men's HJ
Jose Telles da Conceiçao, notable name in Brazilian athletics in the 1950s, secured four gold medal at Sudamericana 1958 in Montevideo; 100-200 metres, high jump and 4x100 metres relay. Telles da Conceiçao, who tragically murdered in 1974, swept high jump gold by clearing 1.90, same height with silver medallist compatriot Alfredo Lopes. But five out of other seven contestants equalled at 1.80 metres to sharing five-way bronze. With the addition of bronze medallist Reinaldo de Oliveira, actually three Brazilian stood at the podium during the ceremony, but it's not a clean sweep, weirdly.
2: European U20 Championships, Women's 5000m walking
Two Spanish women walked through to title and European record simultaneously in Cottbus. Spain had no gold medal rest of the events but optained a couple of golds in the very same race! Maria Cruz Diaz and Maria Reyes Sobrino, both from Barcelona, had been performed side-by-side nearly all race long, clocked identical times 22:56.84, a European U20 record. Two "chicas" finished six seconds ahead of Soviet walker Svetlana Kaburkina, became equal champion in a walking race, which did not occur again in any international competition.
1: Universiade 1973, Men's HJ
One-time-happen in athletics, nine athletes stood on the podium for an individual event! Men's high jump in 1973 World Student Games at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium went crazy. Czechoslovak athlete Vladimir Maly secured title with 2.18m over triple European Indoor champion Istvan Major (HUN). But nearly rest of the finalists were equalled at 2.15 metres. Seven men took bronze medals on that day, four of them are Olympians, including Valentin Gavrilov who is Mexico 1968 silver medallist. Interestingly, two more vertical jump events (women's high jump and men's pole vault) were finished equalled medals also in Moscow.
