SAINT-DENIS, France − Shelby McEwen almost got all the way through his interview with reporters Saturday night, discussing the difficult circumstance of how he’d just ended up with a silver medal in the men’s high jump finals at the Paris Games, without having to hear a preview of what awaited him on his phone. In case you missed it, McEwen passed on the chance to share gold with New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, instead engaging in a jump-off to try to win outright, and ended up with silver instead.
Standing in a place where several other disappointed Team USA athletes had chosen this week to talk very little or not at all, McEwen spoke of his sadness with grace and class and as much positivity as he could muster. Then it came up: he was being panned on social media because Team USA was embroiled in a gold medal count battle with China, and McEwen could’ve added one to the United States’ total. China ended the night leading all nations with 39 gold medals, with the United States right behind at 38.
In responding, McEwen showed the class his critics didn’t.
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‘It never really went through my head,’ said the former University of Alabama high jump standout.
Nor should it have.
The calculation to make in that moment is strictly a personal one, and that’s all McEwen did. Per the rules, Kerr and McEwen could’ve agreed to both receive gold medals after failing to clear the bar at 7 feet, 9 3/4 inches. By approaching McEwen with the suggestion of continuing with a jump-off, Kerr was in essence challenging his opponent not to take the easy way out. Not to come all the way to Paris to accept a draw.
Olympians don’t train for draws.
No athlete in any individual sport should ever be expected to play for a tie. A coach’s decision to accept a tie in a team sport is a little different scenario − depending on the circumstance, it can be best for the team − even though ties generally taste just as bitter to them.
But this wasn’t that.
For McEwen, the chase of victory was paramount, something the social media jackals who blasted him can’t understand. More than likely, the random and largely anonymous class of geniuses who ripped him on the X platform have never been competitive athletes themselves. McEwen was supposed to base his decision on knotting the national gold score with China?
Yep, X wins the gold for stupidity.
Entering Sunday, the final day of Olympic competition, there are still chances for the U.S. to pass China for the most gold medals. The women’s basketball team can claim gold with a win over France. So can the women’s volleyball team, against Italy. There are others, but the point is that McEwen won’t be to blame if Team USA finishes behind China in the gold count. It’s also worth noting that the U.S. has already run away with the total medal count (122) to China’s 90.
But there they were Saturday night, lined up online to pin the problem on a guy who simply decided he didn’t put in years of training for the Paris Games to show up and accept a tie. Even a tie for gold. The medal count is more for Olympic fans than it is for athletes, anyway. That’s not to say the athletes don’t care about it − McEwen himself said afterward the United States winning the most gold medals matters to him − but it wasn’t what should’ve been foremost in his mind.
Yes, McEwen ended up with a silver medal when he could’ve had gold.
But he’d have looked at that gold medal on his mantle for a lifetime and wondered what would’ve happened if he’d agreed to a jump-off. Instead, he’ll look at silver and not have to wonder. He’ll rightly feel better about competing and falling short.
And he certainly won’t feel any worse for the criticism.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.