Russia's Ivan Ukhov wins Olympic men's high jump gold

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia's Ivan Ukhov won Olympic men's high jump gold on Tuesday, August 7 making light of the drizzly conditions to notch the second highest jump in the world this year of 2.38 metres, AFP said.

America's Erik Kynard took silver with 2.33m, with the bronze medal split three ways between Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, Derek Drouin of Canada and Great Britain's Robbie Grabarz.

The long-haired Ukhov, who stands at six feet four inches (1.92m), last month cleared 2.39m to win the Russian championships, the highest jump in 2012.

The 26-year-old's previous major victories have all come indoors, at the 2010 world indoor championships as well as at the 2009 and 2011 European indoors.

The winning jump for the Russian, who holds the national sports title of an "honoured master of sport" was the best in an Olympic Games final since 1996, when American Charles Austin reached 2.39m.

Barshim's bronze was only Qatar's second ever Olympic medal in athletics and the country's fourth in any sport. Qatari shooter Nasser al-Attiyah won a bronze in men's skeet earlier in the London Games.

Beijing 2008 gold medallist Andrey Silnov of Russia and 2011 world champion Jesse Williams of the United States both failed at 2.29m.