EUGENE, USA - Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim’s quest for a third straight World Athletics Championship gold medal lifted off smoothly as he qualified for the final in confident fashion in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday.

At the Hayward Field, the Olympic champion cleared 2.28M to become one of the 13 qualifiers for the title showdown, to be held on Monday.

The 31-year-old started by clearing 2.17 but skipped 2.21 before soaring over 2.25 and 2.28 with ease in his first attempts. His fellow Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi had a difficult outing but the Italian managed to make the cut with his final attempt at 2.28. Tamberi had also knocked down the bar two times at 2.25 before clearing it on his final try.

A total of 11 athletes cleared 2.28 to qualify for the final while two made it on a countback with 2.25M clearances. 

South Korea’s reigning indoor world champion Sanghyeok Woo (2.28) was in searing form, clearing all the heights on his first attempt.

Canada’s Django Lovett, Ukraine’s Andriy Protsenko, Cuba’s Luis Enrique Zayas, Japan’s Shinno Tomohiro, Israel’s Yonathan Kapitolnik, Australia’s Joel Baden, USA’s JuVaughn Harrison and Shelby McEwen all cleared 2.28M. Mexico’s Edggar Rivera and Germany’s Mateusz Przybylko made it with 2.25.