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Rio Olympics High Jumper Brandon Starc Is Not Game Of Thrones Guy

Brandon Starc. Likeable character, not a TV character.
High jump is coming.
AFP/Getty Images
High jump is coming.

Stop everything, Game of Thrones fans. Turn the TV on now and watch the men's high jump at the Rio Olympics. This is important. Trust us on this.

The reason you need to watch the high jump is because Australian Brandon Starc is competing in the Olympic final. OK, so he's not the Brandon Stark from the House of Stark who was raised in Winterfell. But he's almost as exciting. Here's some stuff you might like to know about him.

  • He's 22 and grew in Sydney.
  • He's the brother of Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc.
  • He actually thinks Mitchell is the best sportsman in the family. Modest, huh? We'll see who's really the best as the competition unfolds in Rio.
  • Yes, he watches Game of Thrones.
  • His best leap is 2:31. And he jumped 2:29 beautifully two nights ago in Rio to make the final. Then thanked people sincerely. 'Cos he's Brandon Starc.

He takes photographs of sneakers for a hobby. Sounds nerdy but it's actually cool as hell.

🕹🕹

A photo posted by BLT (@beelt_) on

OK, that'll do for now. We'll keep you updated live here as the competition progresses.

9:33pm Rio time. Doh, he missed his first jump at 2:20. Not good. But Brazilians are excited just to see him out there.

Ok, he got his next jump at 2:20. Phew. But so did everyone else in the field.

Hahaha, this is funny. Here's a sample:

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.

Third jump for Starc in a moment... doh again. He misses his first attempt at 2:25.

Six of the 15 athletes in the final missed at 2:25. Starc up again. Noooooooo.... Only one more chance or winter will have come for his Olympic dreams.

OK, the dream is over. Starc was the first man out of the final. Winter has come.

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