It turns out the Three-Eyed Raven was not lying: Brandon Stark may not ever walk again, but he does fly. Sort of. At this summer’s Olympics, Australian high-jumper Brandon Starc is the recipient of some unexpected love. Game of Thrones fans have been following his quest for Olympic gold, in part because he’s an inspiration in a weary world, but mostly because he shares a name with one of their favorite characters.
Starc recently posted a jump of 2.29m, enough to earn him a spot in the finals of the event.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 14: Brandon Starc of Australia competes in the Men’s High Jump qualification on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Naturally, Game of Thrones fans are tweeting their support for the 22-year-old. Even Athletics Australia, the national sporting organization of Australia, has jumped on board with the comparisons.
Although it might not have had the drama of the hit HBO series, Starc’s qualifying was quite the event. In the last jump of any competitor for the entire evening, Starc cleared the aforementioned 2.29m. That score was good enough for the eleventh spot in the 15-man finals to be held Tuesday, at 6:30 pm CST.
Starc was jumping around the same time that Jamaican Usain Bolt came from behind to defeat American Justin Gaitlan in the 100m dash. Though Starc was unaware of the reason why, when the stadium erupted into cheers for Bolt, Starc used the excitement and energy for his own event.
It was the last jump of the night – everyone was going home after that. And I thought, I don’t want to end it here’ so just gave it everything.
OK, that’s nice and all, but we won’t be truly impressed until somebody jumps over the Wall. #WinterIsComing
