Olympic ‘Vibes’ for Qatar’s High-Jump Great Barshim in Hangzhou 

Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Athletics - Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou, China - October 2, 2023 Qatar's Mutaz Barshim gestures during the Men's High Jump Qualification - Group A. (Reuters)
Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Athletics - Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou, China - October 2, 2023 Qatar's Mutaz Barshim gestures during the Men's High Jump Qualification - Group A. (Reuters)
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Olympic ‘Vibes’ for Qatar’s High-Jump Great Barshim in Hangzhou 

Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Athletics - Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou, China - October 2, 2023 Qatar's Mutaz Barshim gestures during the Men's High Jump Qualification - Group A. (Reuters)
Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Athletics - Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou, China - October 2, 2023 Qatar's Mutaz Barshim gestures during the Men's High Jump Qualification - Group A. (Reuters)

Three-time high-jump world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim compared the Asian Games to the Olympics Monday after skipping the season-ending Diamond League event at Eugene to be in Hangzhou.

The reigning Olympic gold medalist won Asiad titles in 2010 and 2014 and is determined to cap his 2023 season with another.

"For me, the Asian Games are important. You see these vibes, it's like our Olympics before the Olympics," he said after needing only a single jump of 2.19m to lead the field into Wednesday's gold-medal showdown.

"Eugene? I am not saying it's not important, it's about having different priorities now.

"For me, it was too much travel and I am a different high jumper now. I have three Diamond (League) trophies. Adding a fourth would have been great, but it's not my top priority at the moment so I decided to skip that."

Barshim shares top billing as Qatar's most famous sportsman with five-time Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, who also took time out from his hectic schedule to be in China.

Along with rallying, Al-Attiyah is an accomplished skeet shooter and won men's team silver and individual bronze in Hangzhou.

Barshim has extra motivation to get back on top of the Asian Games podium after being shocked at the Budapest world championships by Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi, who denied him a fourth consecutive title.

"The stadium is amazing, the crowd is amazing. This is the last competition of the season, hopefully finishing at the top," he said.

"Then I need a good break, a good vacation to recharge before the Olympic season starts."

His chief rival is South Korea's Woo Sang-hyeok, the 2022 world silver medalist who won the Diamond League trophy in Eugene that Barshim skipped, with a personal best 2.35m.

He also qualified comfortably on Monday.



Kane Bags Double as Bayern Tame Flamengo to Set Up PSG Clash

Flamengo's Argentine goalkeeper #01 Agustin Rossi concedes the fourth goal of Bayern Munich scored by English forward #09 Harry Kane during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 football match between Brazil's Flamengo and Germany's Bayern Munich at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 29, 2025. (AFP)
Flamengo's Argentine goalkeeper #01 Agustin Rossi concedes the fourth goal of Bayern Munich scored by English forward #09 Harry Kane during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 football match between Brazil's Flamengo and Germany's Bayern Munich at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 29, 2025. (AFP)
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Kane Bags Double as Bayern Tame Flamengo to Set Up PSG Clash

Flamengo's Argentine goalkeeper #01 Agustin Rossi concedes the fourth goal of Bayern Munich scored by English forward #09 Harry Kane during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 football match between Brazil's Flamengo and Germany's Bayern Munich at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 29, 2025. (AFP)
Flamengo's Argentine goalkeeper #01 Agustin Rossi concedes the fourth goal of Bayern Munich scored by English forward #09 Harry Kane during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 football match between Brazil's Flamengo and Germany's Bayern Munich at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 29, 2025. (AFP)

Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich tamed Flamengo 4-2 in a tense affair at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday to set up a much-anticipated all-European quarter-final against Paris St Germain at the Club World Cup.

Erick Pulgar's own goal opened the scoring for Bayern and Leon Goretzka was also on target for the German side, while Flamengo, who were defensively naive, twice reduced the deficit through Gerson and Jorginho.

Backed by a raucous crowd, Flamengo played with aggression, but Bayern converted all their shots on target and reaped the rewards of a fast start, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes.

"It was tough. We were playing against a really good side in difficult conditions, it was really hot," Kane said.

"I thought we played well for large spells but every time we got away they clawed their way back and made it difficult. The fourth goal was important to ease the nerves and from there we managed it well."

Earlier on Sunday, Champions League winners PSG sent a brutal reminder of their firepower when they cruised past Inter Miami 4-0, taking their foot off the pedal after the break in what could have turned into a humiliation for Lionel Messi's MLS team.

Bayern got off to a flying start, opening the scoring in the sixth minute when Pulgar deflected a corner kick into his own net.

Three minutes later, Kane doubled the advantage with a low shot that went in off the post.

Flamengo got into something of a groove and went close in the 15th minute, only for Manuel Neuer to save Luiz Araujo's effort from point-blank range.

Shortly after the cooling break, the Brazilian side pulled one back as Gerson fired a missile that went in off the underside of the bar, triggering a deafening roar from the crowd.

Bayern, however, restored their two-goal lead before the interval when Goretzka, capitalizing on the space left by the Flamengo defense, whipped a shot from outside the box past keeper Agustin Rossi.

Tempers flared after a poor challenge by Pulgar on Kane as Flamengo struggled to contain their frustration.

Filipe Luis's side pulled one back again 10 minutes into the second half, Jorginho sending Neuer the wrong way after they were awarded a penalty for a Michael Olise handball.

The momentum had swung and Flamengo threatened with quick breaks, but Bayern held firm before finding the back of the net once more through Kane, who beat Rossi with another clinical low shot in the 73rd minute.