Silver Medalist Shelby McEwen On Why He Chose Jump-Off Over Shared Gold

McEwen has no regrets over his decision.

Why did United States high jumper Shelby McEwen decide to compete in a jump-off instead of sharing a gold medal with the eventual winner?

According to The Washington Post, the silver medalist and the gold medal winner, New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, were given the option after several missed attempts by both, to accept being co-gold medal winners or compete in the jump-off to determine who would take home the top medal. McEwen told The Washington Post he and Kerr discussed the options before both agreeing to a jump-off.

“We walked and talked to each other,” McEwen said. “He was like, ‘Let’s jump off.’ I was like, ‘I’m all for it.’”

But McEwen emphasized that Kerr “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.”

Both men matched the height to keep the competition going. But, as the competition advanced, both jumpers missed heights that would have won the competition outright. After Kerr missed his third jump at 2.38 meters (7 feet, 6½ inches), it was officially a tie, with both men able to clear 2.36 meters. Yet, neither man was able to jump higher as they both missed 11 straight jumps. The bar was even lowered two times to try to clear the way for a winner. Although he was able to do 2.36 meters previously, the fatigue he mentioned was seemingly a factor as he was unable to clear it at 2.34 meters. When Kerr followed him, he cleared it.

McEwen, though, has no regrets.

“I came up short of the gold,” McEwen said. “But I’m still thankful for what I got.”