US high jumper Shelby McEwen defends decision to refuse sharing gold medal before losing as Olympics fans are split: ‘One champion’

Shelby McEwen is an Olympic medalist — whether you call him greedy or competitive.

The 28-year-old American defended his decision to compete in a jumpoff against New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr instead of sharing the gold medal during the men’s high jump final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday.

“If it was meant to be it would’ve been,” McEwen, wearing a silver medal, told reporters at the post-event 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.”

McEwen and Kerr cleared 2.36m, which sparked a jumpoff between the two Olympians for the top spot on the podium.

If two or more athletes end at the same height in the men’s high jump, they go to a jump off starting at the next height above where they cleared.

Both athletes missed at 2.38m and 2.36m before the bar was lowered to 2.34m.

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They had missed 11 jumps in a row by the time Kerr made his jump at 2.34m, resulting in the “Flying Kiwi’s” first Olympic gold medal.

“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. I mean I represent my country, just like he’s representing his. I’m representing my family just like he’s representing his,” McEwen said.

“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 was adamant that it was a mutual decision to compete in the jumpoff.

“He said it first, and I agreed to it,” McEwen said, according to the Washington Post . “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.”

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Now, McEwen is focused on winning gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I’m going to take my silver, get back to the drawing board, trust my team, trust my doctors, trust my training and get better,” McEwen said.

China leads the US in gold medals 39 to 38 heading into the final day of the Paris Olympics on Sunday. The countries would be deadlocked in a tie if McEwen and Kerr agreed to share the prestigious honor.

The jumpoff decision has sparked debate online with people arguing whether McEwen made the right choice.

“It makes it very interesting. Fair play to both of them,” one X user commented.

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“That’s the competitive spirit between them both,” another said.

“Stupid from Shelby and then he lost the gold…”

“Should have shared the Gold like last Olympics!” a fourth added.

Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, who took the bronze medal on Saturday, supported his competitors’ jumpoff, saying there has to be some level of greediness.

Barshim famously shared the gold medal at the 2020 Olympics with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi after the two high jumpers declined to partake in a jumpoff.

“We are sport people, we are very greedy and that’s how it’s supposed to be, we’re all champions,” Barshim said. “If you are a champion you need to be the best.”

“Everybody wants to be the best, we are all greedy and that’s the mentality and that’s the spirit you should have,” he added.

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