Having only finished a disappointing sixth in the Italian capital with 2.27m, Barshim produced a world-leading 2.37m clearance, his best result for more than a year.

In Rome a few days ago, one of the questions posed to Mutaz Essa Barshim was about his health and the lack of heights coming close to those he produced back in 2014, when he came within two centimetres of Javier Sotomayor’s long-standing world high jump record of 2.45m.

The Qatari, who had been struggling with various niggling injuries for most of last season, confessed that heights weren’t a priority in an Olympic year but, in the end, the crowd at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham on Sunday (5) certainly didn’t have to settle for a second-rate contest.

Having only finished a disappointing sixth in the Italian capital with 2.27m, Barshim produced a world-leading 2.37m clearance, his best result for more than a year.

Olympic silver medallist Erik Kynard of the US pushed him all the way after taking the lead at 2.35m with a first-time clearance, having to gamble by going for broke at this height after two failures at 2.33m, while Barshim needed two attempts.

But Barshim was the confirmed winner after Kynard had two failures at 2.37m and one at 2.40m. Barshim had two failures at 2.40m and then audaciously had the bar raised to what would have been an Asian record of 2.44m, but also failed at the height.

Seeing Barshim attack those heights with the confidence he showed two seasons ago has just made Olympic year that little bit more interesting in this discipline.

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