Bahamas' Donald Thomas won the gold medal of men's high jump at the Osaka world athletics championships on Wednesday.
Yaroslav Rybakov from Russia got the silver while Cyprus' Kyriakos Ioannou won the bronze. All the three cleared 2.35 meters.
Thomas, 23, was a former basketball player. He made a sensational start to a high jumping career by clearing 2.22m indoors in January 2006 with no high jump training since he had jumped at school five years earlier.
"I have only 8 months of high jump training behind me," he said.
The new champion always seems to be confident. "If somebody would clear 2.37m I would do the same, believe me. I never doubt in myself," he said.
Thomas set 2008 Olympic Games as his next target. "After more training and learning the event the goal could be also the world record," he said.
This was the fifth time for Rybakov to get the silver in world championships. "I really wanted the gold. I did what I was able to do," he said.
He said he was suffering a knee injury and was facing a decision on whether to follow his doctor's suggestion to do a surgery.
Stefan Holm of Sweden, the 2004 Olympic champion, ranked fourth with 2.33m.
Source: Xinhua
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