Sharing may not be caring after all.
After pole vaulters Nina Kennedy of Australia and Katie Moon of💞 tඣhe U.S. elected to hold a tiebreaker instead of both taking gold in the women’s individual final on Aug. 7, Moon responded to criticism about supposed selfishness.
“Sheesh. We chose to share the gold la🐬st year, and we were called cowards, weak, etc.,” on Aug. 10, referencing dividing gold with Kennedy at the 2023 World Championships. “This year an athlete chooses to jump-off and they’re shamed for it as well. Let this be a note to all athletes: do whatever you 🐈feel in your heart is best for you, because you will never make everyone happy, even while bringing home medals for your country.”
The 33-yea♋r-old Moon eventually lost to Kennedy, who finished with a 4.90-meter jump ahead of Moon’s🃏 4.85m mark.
Despite falling to Kennedy, Moon still notched silver a🗹head of Cﷺanada’s Alysha Newman to secure her second career medal.
Also in Paris, fellow American Shelby McEwenwas was left to defend not splitting the high-jump gold with New☂ Zealand’s Hamish Kerr before🦩 ultimately losing.
Three years prior in Tok🅷yo, Moon claiꦍmed gold with a 4.90m jump.
During that same Olympics, men’s high jumpers Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy) and Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) tied with the same 2.37m jump — at which 𓄧point they elected to simply both receive gold instead of competing any further.
A flashback to that moment spurred sportswriter Rodger Sherman to lambast Kennedy and Moon i💎n this year’s iteration.
“T💜weeting this right after Team USA’s jumper turned down the opportunity to share gold medals and 🥂has missed every jump in the tiebreaker so far,” , receiving more than 100,000 likes.
Moon, though, sensed a different perception in the high jumping truꩵce🐠 compared to when she and Kennedy did the same last August.
“Unfortunately many peop🧸le didn’t seem to find it as awesome when Nina and I did it last year,” Moon added with a shrugging emoji.
The 5-foot-8 pole vaulter’s silver medal instead of gold ended up proving somewhat inconsequential in the national leaderboards, as the Un♒ited States still tied China atop the๊ first-place podium with 40 medals.
