“It was amazing, our guys gave us jumps of incredible beauty today, showing at the same time character and will,” Shlyakhtin quotes TASS.
He noted that both athletes set their personal records, and for Akimenko these competitions were the first international start in four years.
“The guys are heroes because they managed to prove themselves in the stands, which simply“ breathed ”Barshim. It was a very cool fight, I feel proud for the guys, for their coaches, for our entire team, ”added Shlyakhtin.
The winner was the local athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim.
It was previously reported that Akimenko won silver in the high jump at the 2019 World Cup.