Only Barshim can break my record: Sotomayor

Doha:High jump world record holder Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor believes Qatar’sMutaz Essa Barshim can break his 25-year old mark of 2.45 metres.Speaking in Nicaragua, Sotomayor said: “Only Barshim could break mymark”. World Champion and Rio Olympics silver medallist Barshim has comeclose to bettering Sotomayor’s mark and is widely tipped to do so incoming years. “In 2015, Barshim and Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukrainecame close to the record. They have frequently cleared 2.40. But if Ihad to decide a name that could break my mark, it would be Barshim,” the1992 Olympic champion Sotomayor said. The Cuban set the record on July27, 1993 in Salamanca, Spain. The closest Barshim has come to createhistory was in 2014 in Belgium, when the Qatari ace jumper cleared2.43m. In 2015, Barshim jumped 2.41m.