With the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 fast approaching, the third installment of this four-part series revisits some of the most captivating head-to-head clashes that have shaped men’s field events over the years.
Men’s long jump: Powell vs Lewis
The 1991 World Championships in Tokyo will forever be remembered as the stage where Carl Lewis delivered what many regard as his finest all-around performance in athletics. Just five days before the men’s long jump final, he had stormed to a world record of 9.86 in the 100m, spearheading a US medal sweep. His next target was Bob Beamon’s mythical 8.90m leap from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Lewis arrived in Tokyo on a decade-long winning streak of 65 consecutive victories – one of the sport’s longest ever – cementing his reputation as the world’s best long jumper. Yet the man best poised to challenge him was teammate Mike Powell, the Olympic silver medallist in 1988 and the world’s top-ranked jumper in 1990.
Mike Powell jumps 8.95m to set a world record at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo (© Getty Images)
Lewis set the tone immediately, opening with 8.68m to break his championship record, then extending it to a wind-assisted 8.83m in round three. Powell managed 7.85m on his first attempt before improving to 8.54m on his second. His fourth effort looked enormous but was ruled a foul.
Then came a jump for the ages. Lewis soared 8.91m (2.9m/s), though it was wind-assisted and therefore ineligible for a world record. His celebrations, however, were short-lived. Powell responded with the jump of his life – an 8.95m leap that not only dethroned Beamon as world record-holder after 23 years, but also stunned the athletics world.
Lewis, unwilling to yield, struck back with a wind-legal personal best of 8.87m (-0.2m/s) in the fifth round, followed by another impressive 8.84m in his final attempt. Powell fouled his last jump, but his world record stood, earning him the gold medal. The US swept the podium, with Larry Myricks claiming bronze at 8.42m.
The duel remains etched in history as arguably the greatest long jump competition ever staged – producing two of the top three wind-legal marks of all time. Powell would go on to retain his world title in Stuttgart in 1993.
Men’s shot put: Crouser vs Kovacs vs Walsh
Over the past decade, the men’s shot put has delivered some of the most electrifying rivalries at the World Championships, with Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh at the forefront. The 2015 edition in Beijing signaled a shift in the event’s hierarchy as USA’s Kovacs claimed his first world title with 21.93m, ahead of defending champion David Storl and O’Dayne Richards, while New Zealand’s Walsh narrowly missed the podium.
Two years later in London, Walsh rose to the top, striking gold with 22.03m as Kovacs settled for silver. USA’s Crouser, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion, surprisingly finished sixth. But it was in Doha in 2019 that the rivalry peaked.
In a contest hailed as the greatest in shot put history, Kovacs snatched victory with a lifetime best of 22.91m, edging Crouser (22.90m PB) and Walsh (22.90m area record) by a single centimetre. Darlan Romani’s 22.53m, good enough to win at any other championship, was relegated to fourth.
Ryan Crouser, champion Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh in Doha (© Getty Images)
Oregon 2022 produced another milestone: a historic US medal sweep. Crouser claimed gold with a championship record of 22.94m, followed closely by Kovacs (22.89m) and Josh Awotunde (22.29m), the first time a single nation had swept the medals in World Championships shot put history. Walsh finished fourth, while Romani came fifth.
Crouser then underlined his dominance in Budapest in 2023 with another championship record of 23.51m, the second-longest throw in history, as Leonardo Fabbri took silver and Kovacs earned his fifth world medal.
As WCH Tokyo 25 approaches, Kovacs will be absent after finishing fourth at the US Championships, while Crouser’s participation remains uncertain as he manages injury – though he retains a bye as defending champion. Still, with Walsh, Awotunde, Romani and Fabbri in contention, the men’s shot put promises another unforgettable showdown.
Men’s high jump: Barshim vs Tamberi
The 2017 World Championships in London marked a coming of age for Mutaz Essa Barshim. The Olympic silver medallist was flawless through qualifying and into the final, clearing up to 2.32m without fault. At 2.35m, Barshim again soared over on his first attempt to secure gold – an upgrade from his fourth-place finish in Beijing in 2015.
Two years later, competing at home in Doha, Barshim gave his fans further reason to celebrate. After a nervy moment at 2.33m, where he needed a last-gasp clearance, the Qatari found his rhythm. He was among the athletes who pushed the bar to 2.35m, clearing that with ease, and then he went higher still, clearing 2.37m to secure back-to-back world titles.
The delayed Tokyo Olympics produced one of athletics’ most iconic moments. Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi were inseparable up to 2.37m but both failed at 2.39m. Rather than a jump-off, they chose to share the gold medal – an act of sportsmanship that captured hearts worldwide.
Barshim added a third straight world crown in Oregon in 2022, clearing 2.37m ahead of Woo Sanghyeok and Andrii Protsenko. But in Budapest in 2023, it was Tamberi’s turn. The friendly rivalry between Tamberi and Barshim continued as they could not be separated up to 2.33m – both clearing 2.25m on their second attempts, before first-time clearances at 2.29m and 2.23m.
Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi celebrate at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023 (© AFP / Getty Images)
Tamberi cleared the next bar, 2.36m, on his first try, while Barshim’s competition came to an end at that point. JuVaughn Harrison managed that height on his second attempt and Tamberi was confirmed champion when they were both unable to go any higher.
Yemi Galadima for World Athletics