High jump
EventHigh jump
WrmenJavier Sotomayor (1993)
OrmenCharles Austin (1996)
CrmenBohdan Bondarenko (2013)
WrwomenYaroslava Mahuchikh (2024)
OrwomenYelena Slesarenko (2004)
CrwomenStefka Kostadinova (1987)

The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat for landing. Since ancient times, competitors have successively improved their technique, today employing the universally preferred Fosbury Flop, in which athletes run towards the bar and leap head first with their back to the bar.

The discipline is, alongside the pole vault, one of two vertical clearance events in the Olympic athletics program. It is contested at the World Championships in Athletics and the World Athletics Indoor Championships, and is a common occurrence at track and field meets. The high jump was among the first events deemed acceptable for women, having been held at the 1928 Olympic Games.

Javier Sotomayor (Cuba) is the world record holder with a jump of set in 1993 – the longest-standing record in the history of the men's high jump. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) is the women's world record holder with a jump of set in 2024.

Rules

The rules set for the high jump by World Athletics (previously named the IAAF[1]) are Technical Rules TR26 and TR27[2] (previously Rules 181 and 182[1]). Jumpers must take off from one foot. A jump is considered a failure if the jumper dislodges the bar or touches the ground or any object behind the bar before clearance.

Competitors may begin jumping at any height announced by the chief judge, or may pass at their own discretion. Most competitions state that three consecutive missed jumps, at any height or combination of heights, will eliminate the jumper from contention. The victory goes to the jumper who clears the greatest height during the final.

Tie breaking

If two or more jumpers tie for any place, the tie-breakers are: 1) the fewest misses at the height at which the tie occurred; and 2) the fewest misses throughout the competition. If the event remains tied for first place (or a limited-advancement position to a subsequent meet), the jumpers have a jump-off, beginning at the next height above their highest success. Jumpers have one attempt at each height. If only one succeeds, he or she wins; if more than one does, these try with the bar raised; if none does, all try with the bar lowered. This process was followed at the 2015 World Championship men's event and at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Example:

Example jump-off
CompetitorMain competitionJump-offPlace
1.75m1.80m1.84m1.88m1.91m1.94m1.97m1.91m1.89m1.91m
Aoxooxoxxxxox2
Bxoxoxxxxoo1
Coxoxoxxxxx3
Dxoxoxoxxx4

In the example jump-off, the final cleared height is 1.88m, at which A B C and D each have one failure. D has two failures at lower heights compared to one each for the other three, who proceed to a jump-off at the next height above the final cleared height. C is eliminated in the second round of the jump-off 1.89m, then B wins in the third round.

A 2009 rule-change makes the jump-off optional, so that first place can be shared by agreement among tied athletes.[1] This rule led to shared gold in the 2020 Olympic men's event held in 2021.

History

The first recorded high jump event took place in Scotland in the 19th century. Early jumpers used either an elaborate straight-on approach or a scissors technique. In later years, the bar was approached diagonally, and the jumper threw first the inside leg and then the other over the bar in a scissoring motion.

Around the turn of the 20th century, techniques began to change, beginning with the Irish-American Michael Sweeney's Eastern cut-off as a variation of the scissors technique. By taking off as in the scissors method, extending his spine and flattening out over the bar, Sweeney raised the world record to in 1895. Even in 1948, John Winter of Australia won the gold medal of the 1948 London Olympics with this style. Besides, one of the most successful female high jumpers, Iolanda Balaș of Romania, used this style to dominate women's high jump for about 10 years until her retirement in 1967.

Another American, George Horine, developed an even more efficient technique, the Western roll. In this style, the bar again is approached on a diagonal, but the inner leg is used for the take-off, while the outer leg is thrust up to lead the body sideways over the bar. Horine increased the world standard to in 1912. His technique was predominant through the 1936 Berlin Olympics, in which the event was won by Cornelius Johnson at .

American and Soviet jumpers were the most successful for the next four decades, and they pioneered the straddle technique. Straddle jumpers took off as in the Western roll but rotated their torso, belly-down, around the bar, obtaining the most efficient and highest clearance up to that time. Straddle jumper Charles Dumas was the first to clear 7 feet (2.13 m), in 1956. American John Thomas pushed the world mark to in 1960. Valeriy Brumel of the Soviet Union took over the event for the next four years, radically speeding up his approach run. He took the record up to and won the gold medal of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, before a motorcycle accident in 1965 ended his career.

Coaches from the United States, such as a two-time NCAA champion Frank Costello of the University of Maryland, traveled to Russia to learn from Brumel and his coaches like Vladimir Dyachkov. However, it would be a solitary innovator at Oregon State University, Dick Fosbury, who would bring the high jump into the next century.

Taking advantage of the raised, softer, artificially-cushioned landing areas that were in use by then, Fosbury added a new twist to the outmoded Eastern cut-off. He directed himself over the bar head and shoulders first, going over on his back and landing in a fashion that would likely have resulted in serious injury in the old ground-level landing pits, which were usually filled with sawdust or sand mixtures. Around the same time, Debbie Brill independently came up with the same technique, which she called the 'Brill Bend'.[3]

Since Fosbury used his new style, called the Fosbury flop, to win the gold medal of the 1968 Mexico Olympics, its use spread quickly, and soon "floppers" were dominating international high jump competitions. The first flopper setting a world record was the American Dwight Stones, who cleared in 1973. In the female side, the 16-year-old flopper Ulrike Meyfarth from West Germany won the gold medal of the 1972 Munich Olympics at , which tied the women's world record at that time (held by the Austrian straddler Ilona Gusenbauer a year before). However, it was not until 1978 when a flopper, Sara Simeoni of Italy, broke the women's world record.

Successful high jumpers following Fosbury's lead also included the rival of Dwight Stones, 1.73 m (5 feet 8 inches)-tall Franklin Jacobs of Paterson, New Jersey, who cleared , 0.59 metres (1.9 ft) over his head (a feat equalled 27 years later by Stefan Holm of Sweden); Chinese record-setters Ni-chi Chin and Zhu Jianhua; Germans Gerd Wessig and Dietmar Mögenburg; Swedish Olympic medalist and former world record holder Patrik Sjöberg; female jumpers Ulrike Meyfarth of West Germany and Sara Simeoni of Italy.

In spite of this, the straddle technique did not disappear at once. In 1977, the 18-year-old Soviet straddler Vladimir Yashchenko set a new world record . In 1978, he raised the record to , and indoor, just before a knee injury effectively ended his career when he was only 20 years old. In the female side, the straddler Rosemarie Ackermann of East Germany, who was the first female jumper ever to clear , raised the world record from to during 1974 to 1977. In fact, from 2 June 1977 to 3 August 1978, almost 10 years after Fosbury's success, the men's and women's world records were still held by straddle jumpers Yashchenko and Ackermann respectively. However, they were the last world record holders using the straddle technique. Ackermann also won the gold medal of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, which was the last time for a straddle jumper (male or female) to win an Olympic medal.

In 1980, the Polish flopper, 1976 Olympic gold medalist Jacek Wszoła, broke Yashchenko's world record at . Two years before, the female Italian flopper Sara Simeoni, the long-term rival of Ackermann, broke Ackermann's world record at and became the first female flopper to break the women's world record. She also won the gold medal of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where Ackermann placed fourth. Since then, the flop style has been completely dominant. All other techniques were almost extinct in serious high jump competitions after late 1980s.

Technical aspects

Technique and form have evolved greatly over the history of high jump. The Fosbury Flop is considered the most efficient way for competitors to propel themselves over the bar.

Approach

For a Fosbury Flop, depending on the athlete's jump foot, they start on the right or left of the high jump mat, placing their jump foot farthest away from the mat. They take an eight- to ten-step approach, with the first three to five steps being in a straight line and the last five being on a curve. The approach angle is critical for optimal height. Athletes generally mark their approach in order to find as much consistency as possible.

The straight run builds the momentum and sets the tone for a jump. The athlete starts by pushing off their takeoff foot with slow, powerful steps, then begins to accelerate. They should be running upright by the end of the straight portion.

The athlete's takeoff foot will be landing on the first step of the curve, and they will continue to accelerate, focusing their body towards the opposite back corner of the high jump mat. While staying erect and leaning away from the mat, the athlete takes their final two steps flat-footed, rolling from the heel to the toe.

Most great straddle jumpers run at angles of about 30 to 40 degrees. The length of the run is determined by the speed of the approach. A slower run requires about eight strides, but a faster high jumper might need about 13 strides. Greater speed allows a greater part of the body's forward momentum to be converted upward.[4]

The J approach favored by Fosbury floppers allows for speed, the ability to turn in the air (centripetal force), and a good takeoff position, which helps turn horizontal momentum into vertical momentum. The approach should be a hard, controlled stride so that the athlete does not fall from running at an angle. Athletes should lean into the curve from their ankles, not their hips. This allows their hips to rotate during takeoff, which in turn allows their center of gravity to pass under the bar.[5]

Takeoff

The takeoff can be double-arm or single-arm. In both cases, the plant foot should be the foot farthest from the bar, angled towards the opposite back corner of the mat, as they drive up the knee on their non-takeoff leg. This is accompanied by a one- or two-arm swing while driving the knee.

Unlike the straddle technique, where the takeoff foot is "planted" in the same spot regardless of the height of the bar, flop-style jumpers must adjust their approach run as the bar is raised so that their takeoff spot is slightly farther out from the bar. Jumpers attempting to reach record heights commonly fail when most of their energy is directed into the vertical effort and they knock the bar off the standards with the backs of their legs as they stall.

An effective approach shape can be derived from physics. For example, the rate of backward spin required as the jumper crosses the bar in order to facilitate shoulder clearance on the way up and foot clearance on the way down can be determined by computer simulation. This rotation rate can be back-calculated to determine the required angle of lean away from the bar at the moment of planting, based on how long the jumper is on the takeoff foot. This information, together with the jumper's speed, can be used to calculate the radius of the curved part of the approach. One can also work in the opposite direction by assuming a certain approach radius and determining the resulting backward rotation.

Drills can be practiced to solidify the approach. One drill is to run in a straight line and then run two to three circles spiraling into one another. Another is to run or skip a circle of any size two or three times in a row.[6] It is important to leap upwards without first leaning into the bar, allowing the momentum of the J approach to carry the body across the bar.

Flight

The knee on the athlete's non-takeoff leg naturally turns their body, placing them in the air with their back to the bar. The athlete then drives their shoulders towards the back of their feet, arching their body over the bar. They can look over their shoulder to judge when to kick both feet over their head, causing their body to clear the bar and land on the mat.[7]

Area records

AreaMenWomen
MarkSeasonAthleteMarkSeasonAthlete
World'1993Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)'2024Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)
Area records
Africa (records)'2005Jacques Freitag (South Africa)'2003Hestrie Cloete (South Africa)
Asia (records)'2014Mutaz Barsham (Qatar)'2021Nadezhda Dubovitskaya (Kazakhstan)
Europe (records)'1987Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden)'2024Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)
1988Carlo Thränhardt (West Germany)
North, Central America
and Caribbean
(records)
'1993Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)'2010Chaunté Lowe (United States)
Oceania (records)'1997Tim Forsyth (Australia)'2025Nicola Olyslagers (Australia)
2018Brandon Starc (Australia)
2024Hamish Kerr (New Zealand)
2024
2025
South America (records)'1994Gilmar Mayo (Colombia)'1997Solange Witteveen (Argentina)

All-time top 25

Outdoor tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 high jump marks and the top 25 athletes:
- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 high jump marks
- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 high jump marks, by repeat athletes
- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 high jump marks

Men (outdoor)

Ath.#Perf.#MarkAthleteNationDatePlace
11Javier Sotomayor27 July 1993Salamanca
2Sotomayor #229 July 1989San Juan
3Sotomayor #38 September 1988Salamanca
23Mutaz Essa Barshim5 September 2014Brussels[14]
35Patrik Sjöberg30 June 1987Stockholm
5Sotomayor #45 June 1994Seville
35Bohdan Bondarenko14 June 2014New York City[15]
5Barshim #214 June 2014New York City[15]
59Igor Paklin4 September 1985Kobe
9Sotomayor #525 June 1994Havana
Sotomayor #615 July 1994London
Bondarenko #24 July 2013Lausanne
Bondarenko #315 August 2013Moscow
Barshim #35 June 2014Rome
Barshim #422 August 2014Eberstadt
Barshim #530 May 2015Eugene
617Rudolf Povarnitsyn11 August 1985Donetsk
17Sotomayor #712 March 1989Havana
Sjöberg #25 August 1989Brussels
17Sotomayor #813 August 1989Bogotá
617Sorin Matei20 June 1990Bratislava
17Sotomayor #919 July 1991Paris
617Charles Austin7 August 1991Zurich
17Sotomayor #1022 May 1993Havana
Sotomayor #1123 July 1993London
Sotomayor #1222 August 1993Stuttgart
Sotomayor #1310 July 1994Eberstadt
Sotomayor #1418 July 1994Nice
Sotomayor #1529 July 1994Saint Petersburg
Sotomayor #1611 September 1994London
Sotomayor #1725 March 1995Mar del Plata
617Vyacheslav Voronin5 August 2000London
17Barshim #61 June 2013Eugene
617Derek Drouin25 April 2014Des Moines
17Bondarenko #411 May 2014Tokyo
Bondarenko #53 July 2014Lausanne[16]
617Andriy Protsenko3 July 2014Lausanne[16]
17Bondarenko #618 July 2014Monaco
Bondarenko #75 September 2014Brussels[14]
Barshim #711 June 2016Opole
Barshim #820 August 2017Birmingham
Barshim #927 August 2017Eberstadt
Barshim #104 May 2018Doha
Barshim #112 July 2018Székesfehérvár
12Zhu Jianhua10 June 1984Eberstadt
Hollis Conway30 July 1989Norman
Ivan Ukhov5 July 2012Cheboksary
Gianmarco Tamberi15 July 2016Monaco[17]
16Hennadiy Avdyeyenko6 September 1987Rome
Sergey Malchenko4 September 1988Banská Bystrica
Dragutin Topić1 August 1993Belgrade
Troy Kemp12 July 1995Nice
Artur Partyka18 August 1996Eberstadt
Jacques Freitag5 March 2005Oudtshoorn
Andriy Sokolovskyy8 July 2005Rome
Andrey Silnov25 July 2008London
Zhang Guowei30 May 2015Eugene
Danil Lysenko27 August 2017Eberstadt

Annulled marks

The following athletes have had their personal best annulled due to doping offences:

MarkAthleteDatePlaceRef
Ivan Ukhov (Russia)10 May 2014Doha
Danil Lysenko (Russia)20 July 2018Monaco

Women (outdoor)

Ath.#Perf.#MarkAthleteNationDatePlace
11Yaroslava Mahuchikh7 July 2024Paris[18]
22Stefka KostadinovaBulgaria30 August 1987Rome
3Kostadinova #231 May 1986Sofia
33Blanka Vlašić31 August 2009Zagreb
45Lyudmila AndonovaBulgaria20 July 1984Berlin
5Kostadinova #325 May 1986Sofia
Kostadinova #416 September 1987Cagliari
Kostadinova #53 September 1988Sofia
Vlašić #27 August 2007Stockholm
45Anna Chicherova22 July 2011Cheboksary
11Kostadinova #618 August 1985Moscow
Kostadinova #715 June 1986Fürth
Kostadinova #814 September 1986Cagliari
Kostadinova #96 June 1987Worrstadt
Kostadinova #108 September 1987Rieti
611Kajsa Bergqvist26 July 2003Eberstadt
Hestrie Cloete31 August 2003Paris
Yelena Slesarenko28 August 2004Athens
11Vlašić #330 July 2007Thessaloniki
Vlašić #422 June 2008Istanbul
Vlašić #55 July 2008Madrid
611Ariane Friedrich14 June 2009Berlin
Mariya Lasitskene6 July 2017Lausanne[19]
11Lasitskene #220 June 2019Ostrava[20]
1125Tamara Bykova22 June 1984Kyiv
25Kostadinova #1114 June 1986Worrstadt
Kostadinova #127 September 1986Rieti
Kostadinova #134 July 1987Oslo
Kostadinova #1413 September 1987Padua
Kostadinova #1512 August 1988Budapest
1125Heike Henkel31 August 1991Tokyo
25Kostadinova #164 July 1992San Marino
Kostadinova #1718 September 1993Fukuoka
1125Inha Babakova15 September 1995Tokyo
25Kostadinova #183 August 1996Atlanta
Bergqvist #218 August 2002Poznań
Cloete #210 August 2003Berlin
Bergqvist #328 July 2006London
Vlašić #621 July 2007Madrid
Vlašić #72 September 2007Osaka
Vlašić #812 June 2008Ostrava
Vlašić #91 July 2008Bydgoszcz
1125Tia Hellebaut23 August 2008Beijing
25Vlašić #1023 August 2008Beijing
Vlašić #118 May 2009Doha
1125Chaunté Lowe26 June 2010Des Moines
25Vlašić #125 September 2010Split
Chicherova #216 September 2011Brussels
Chicherova #311 August 2012London
Lasitskene #321 July 2017Monaco
Lasitskene #48 September 2021Zurich[21]
Mahuchikh #22 September 2022Brussels[22]
16Silvia Costa9 September 1989Barcelona
Venelina Veneva-Mateeva2 June 2001Kalamata
Irina Gordeeva19 August 2012Eberstadt
Brigetta Barrett22 June 2013Des Moines
Nicola Olyslagers27 August 2025Zurich[23]
21Ulrike Meyfarth21 August 1983London
Louise Ritter8 July 1988Austin
Tatyana Motkova30 May 1995Bratislava
Niki Bakoyianni3 August 1996Atlanta
Antonietta Di Martino24 June 2007Milan

Men (indoor)

Only one performance (best) per athlete

RankMarkAthleteDatePlaceRef
1Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)4 March 1989Budapest
2Carlo Thränhardt (West Germany)26 February 1988Berlin
3Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden)1 February 1987Piraeus
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)18 February 2015Athlone
5Hollis Conway (United States)10 March 1991Seville
Stefan Holm (Sweden)6 March 2005Madrid
Ivan Ukhov (Russia)25 February 2009Piraeus
Aleksey Dmitrik (Russia)8 February 2014Arnstadt
9Dietmar Mögenburg (West Germany)24 February 1985Cologne
Ralf Sonn (Germany)1 March 1991Berlin
11Igor Paklin (Soviet Union)7 March 1987Indianapolis
Gennadiy Avdeyenko (Soviet Union)7 March 1987Indianapolis
Steve Smith (United Kingdom)4 February 1994Wuppertal
Wolf-Hendrik Beyer (Germany)18 March 1994Weinheim
Sorin Matei (Romania)3 February 1995Wuppertal
Matt Hemingway (United States)4 March 2000Atlanta
Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)15 February 2005Stockholm
Linus Thörnblad (Sweden)25 February 2007Gothenburg
Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy)13 February 2016Hustopeče
Danil Lysenko (Russia)29 January 2023Moscow[24]
21Artur Partyka (Poland)3 February 1991Sulingen
Dalton Grant (United Kingdom)13 March 1994Paris
Charles Austin (United States)1 March 1996Atlanta
Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia)5 March 2005Glasgow
Jaroslav Bába (Czech Republic)5 February 2000Arnstadt
Andrey Silnov (Russia)2 February 2008Arnstadt
Maksim Nedasekau (Belarus)7 March 2021Toruń

Annulled marks

The following athletes have had their personal best annulled due to doping offences:

MarkAthleteDatePlaceRef
Ivan Ukhov (Russia)25 February 2014Prague

Women (indoor)

Only one performance (best) per athlete

RankMarkAthleteDatePlaceRef
1Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden)4 February 2006Arnstadt
2Heike Henkel (Germany)8 February 1992Karlsruhe
3Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)20 February 1988Athens
Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)6 February 2010Arnstadt
Anna Chicherova (Russia)4 February 2012Arnstadt
Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)2 February 2021Banská Bystrica[19]
7Tia Hellebaut (Belgium)3 March 2007Birmingham
Ariane Friedrich (Germany)15 February 2009Karlsruhe
Mariya Lasitskene (Russia)9 February 2020Moscow
10Alina Astafei (Germany)3 March 1995Berlin
Yelena Slesarenko (Russia)7 March 2004Budapest
Antonietta Di Martino (Italy)9 February 2011Banská Bystrica
13Tamara Bykova (Soviet Union)6 March 1983Budapest
Monica Iagăr (Romania)23 January 1999Bucharest
Marina Kuptsova (Russia)2 March 2002Vienna
16Susanne Beyer (East Germany)8 March 1987Indianapolis
Venelina Veneva-Mateeva (Bulgaria)2 February 2002Łódź
Yelena Yelesina (Russia)26 February 2003Moscow
Chaunte Lowe (United States)26 February 2012Albuquerque
Kamila Lićwinko (Poland)21 February 2015Toruń
21Gabriele Günz (East Germany)31 January 1988Stuttgart
Ioamnet Quintero (Cuba)5 March 1993Berlin
Tisha Waller (United States)28 February 1998Atlanta
Ruth Beitia (Spain)24 February 2007Piraeus
Vita Palamar (Ukraine)9 March 2008Valencia
Irina Gordeeva (Russia)28 January 2009Cottbus
Airinė Palšytė (Lithuania)4 March 2017Belgrade

World Indoor Championships medalists

Men

1985 Paris
Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden)Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Othmane Belfaa (Algeria)
1987 Indianapolis
Igor Paklin (Soviet Union)Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (Soviet Union)Ján Zvara (Czechoslovakia)
1989 Budapest
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Dietmar Mögenburg (West Germany)Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden)
1991 Seville
Hollis Conway (United States)Artur Partyka (Poland)Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)
Aleksey Yemelin (Soviet Union)
1993 Toronto
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden)Steve Smith (United Kingdom)
1995 Barcelona
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Labros Papakostas (Greece)Tony Barton (United States)
1997 Paris
Charles Austin (United States)Labros Papakostas (Greece)Dragutin Topić (FRY)
1999 Maebashi
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia)Charles Austin (United States)
2001 Lisbon
Stefan Holm (Sweden)Andriy Sokolovskyy (Ukraine)Staffan Strand (Sweden)
2003 Birmingham
Stefan Holm (Sweden)Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)Henadz Maroz (Belarus)
2004 Budapest
Stefan Holm (Sweden)Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)Ștefan Vasilache (Romania)
Germaine Mason (Jamaica)
Jaroslav Bába (Czech Republic)
2006 Moscow
Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)Andrey Tereshin (Russia)Linus Thörnblad (Sweden)
2008 Valencia
Stefan Holm (Sweden)Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)Kyriakos Ioannou (Cyprus)
Andra Manson (United States)
2010 Doha
Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)Dusty Jonas (United States)
2012 Istanbul
Dimitrios Chondrokoukis (Greece)Andrey Silnov (Russia)Ivan Ukhov (Russia)
2014 Sopot
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Andriy Protsenko (Ukraine)
2016 Portland
Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy)Robert Grabarz (United Kingdom)Erik Kynard (United States)
2018 Birmingham
Danil Lysenko (ANA)Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Mateusz Przybylko (Germany)
2022 Belgrade
Woo Sang-hyeok (South Korea)Loïc Gasch (Switzerland)Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy)
Hamish Kerr (New Zealand)
2024 Glasgow
Hamish Kerr (New Zealand)Shelby McEwen (United States)Woo Sang-hyeok (South Korea)
2025 Nanjing
Woo Sang-hyeok (South Korea)Hamish Kerr (New Zealand)Raymond Richards (Jamaica)
2026 Toruń
Oleh Doroshchuk (Ukraine)Erick Portillo (Mexico)Raymond Richards (Jamaica)
Woo Sang-hyeok (South Korea)

Women

1985 Paris
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Susanne Lorentzon (Sweden)Debbie Brill (Canada)
Danuta Bułkowska (Poland)
Silvia Costa (Cuba)
1987 Indianapolis
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Susanne Beyer (East Germany)Emilia Dragieva (Bulgaria)
1989 Budapest
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Tamara Bykova (Soviet Union)Heike Redetzky (West Germany)
1991 Seville
Heike Henkel (Germany)Tamara Bykova (Soviet Union)Heike Balck (Germany)
1993 Toronto
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Heike Henkel (Germany)Inha Babakova (Ukraine)
1995 Barcelona
Alina Astafei (Germany)Britta Bilač (Slovenia)Heike Henkel (Germany)
1997 Paris
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Inha Babakova (Ukraine)Hanne Haugland (Norway)
1999 Maebashi
Khristina Kalcheva (Bulgaria)Zuzana Hlavoňová (Czech Republic)Tisha Waller (United States)
2001 Lisbon
Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden)Inha Babakova (Ukraine)Venelina Veneva (Bulgaria)
2003 Birmingham
Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden)Yelena Yelesina (Russia)Anna Chicherova (Russia)
2004 Budapest
Yelena Slesarenko (Russia)Anna Chicherova (Russia)Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)
2006 Moscow
Yelena Slesarenko (Russia)Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)Ruth Beitia (Spain)
2008 Valencia
Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)Yelena Slesarenko (Russia)Vita Palamar (Ukraine)
2010 Doha
Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)Ruth Beitia (Spain)Chaunté Lowe (United States)
2012 Istanbul
Chaunté Lowe (United States)Antonietta Di Martino (Italy)
Anna Chicherova (Russia)
Ebba Jungmark (Sweden)
none awarded
2014 Sopot
Mariya Kuchina (Russia)
Kamila Lićwinko (Poland)
none awardedRuth Beitia (Spain)
2016 Portland
Vashti Cunningham (United States)Ruth Beitia (Spain)Kamila Lićwinko (Poland)
2018 Birmingham
Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)Vashti Cunningham (United States)Alessia Trost (Italy)
2022 Belgrade
Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Eleanor Patterson (Australia)Nadezhda Dubovitskaya (Kazakhstan)
2024 Glasgow
Nicola Olyslagers (Australia)Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Lia Apostolovski (Slovenia)
2025 Nanjing
Nicola Olyslagers (Australia)Eleanor Patterson (Australia)Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)
2026 Toruń
Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Angelina Topić (SER)
Nicola Olyslagers (Australia)
Yuliya Levchenko (Ukraine)
none awarded
  • Known as the World Indoor Games.

Athletes with most medals

Athletes who have won multiple titles at the two most important competitions, the Olympic Games and the World Championships:

  • 4 wins: Mariya Lasitskene (RUS) - Olympic Champion in 2020, World Champion in 2015, 2017 & 2019
  • 4 wins: Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) - Olympic Champion in 2020, World Champion in 2017, 2019 & 2022
  • 3 wins: Javier Sotomayor (CUB) - Olympic Champion in 1992, World Champion in 1993 & 1997
  • 3 wins: Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) - Olympic Champion in 1996, World Champion in 1987 & 1995
  • 2 wins: Gennadiy Avdeyenko (URS) - Olympic Champion in 1988, World Champion in 1983
  • 2 wins: Charles Austin (USA) - Olympic Champion in 1996, World Champion in 1991
  • 2 wins: Iolanda Balaș (ROU) - Olympic Champion in 1960 & 1964
  • 2 wins: Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) - Olympic Champion in 1972 & 1984
  • 2 wins: Heike Henkel (GER) - Olympic Champion in 1992, World Champion in 1991
  • 2 wins: Hestrie Cloete (RSA) - World Champion in 2001 & 2003
  • 2 wins: Blanka Vlašić (CRO) - World Champion in 2007 & 2009
  • 2 wins: Anna Chicherova (RUS) - Olympic Champion in 2012, World Champion in 2011
  • 2 wins: Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) - Olympic Champion in 2020, World Champion in 2023
  • 2 wins: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) - Olympic Champion in 2024, World Champion in 2023
  • 2 wins: Hamish Kerr (NZL) - Olympic Champion in 2024, World Champion in 2025

Kostadinova, Sotomayor and Mahuchikh are the only high jumpers to have been Olympic Champion, World Champion and broken the world record.

World leading marks

Men

YearMarkAthletePlace
1970Ni Zhiqin (China)Changsha
1971Pat Matzdorf (United States)Berkeley
1972Jüri Tarmak (Soviet Union)Moscow
1973Dwight Stones (United States)Munich
1974Dwight Stones (United States)Oslo
1975Dwight Stones (United States)New York
1976Dwight Stones (United States)Philadelphia
1977Vladimir Yashchenko (Soviet Union)Richmond
1978 Vladimir Yashchenko (Soviet Union)Milan
1979Dietmar Mögenburg (West Germany)Ottawa
1980Gerd Wessig (East Germany)Moscow
1981Aleksey Demyanyuk (Soviet Union)Leningrad
1982Zhu Jianhua (China)Delhi
1983Zhu Jianhua (China)Shanghai
1984Zhu Jianhua (China)Eberstadt
1985Igor Paklin (Soviet Union)Kobe
1986Igor Paklin (Soviet Union)Rieti
1987Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden)Stockholm
1988Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Salamanca
1989Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)San Juan
1990Sorin Matei (Romania)Bratislava
1991 Hollis Conway (United States)Seville
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Saint-Denis
Charles Austin (United States)Zürich
1992 Patrik Sjöberg (Sweden)Genoa
1993Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Salamanca
1994Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Seville
1995Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Mar del Plata
1996Charles Austin (United States)Atlanta
1997Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Athens
1998Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)Maracaibo
1999Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia)Seville
2000Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia)London
2001Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia)Eberstadt
2002Jacques Freitag (South Africa)Durban
2003 Stefan Holm (Sweden)Arnstadt
Aleksander Walerianczyk (Poland)Bydgoszcz
2004 Stefan Holm (Sweden)Stockholm
2005 Stefan Holm (Sweden)Madrid
2006 Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)Arnstadt
Moscow
Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Arnstadt
Andrey Silnov (Russia)Monaco
2007 Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Moscow
2008 Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia)Moscow
Andrey Silnov (Russia)London
2009 Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Piraeus
2010 Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Banská Bystrica
2011 Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Hustopeče
Banská Bystrica
Paris
2012Ivan Ukhov (Russia)Cheboksary
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Lausanne
2013Bohdan Bondarenko (Ukraine)Lausanne
Moscow
2014Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Brussels
2015 Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Athlone
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Eugene
2016Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Opole
2017Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Birmingham
Eberstadt
2018Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Doha
Székesfehérvár
2019Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Doha
2020 Darryl Sullivan (United States)Blacksburg
Tom Gale (United Kingdom)Hustopeče
Jamal Wilson (BAH)Banská Bystrica
Luis Zayas (Cuba)Banská Bystrica
Ilya Ivanyuk (Russia)Moscow
Maksim Nedasekau (Belarus)Minsk
2021 Maksim Nedasekau (Belarus)Toruń
Székesfehérvár
Tokyo
Ilya Ivanyuk (ANA)Smolensk
Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy)Tokyo
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Tokyo
2022Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)Eugene
2023 Danil Lysenko (Russia)Moscow
2024Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy)Rome
2025Hamish Kerr (New Zealand)Tokyo
2026 Danil Lysenko (Russia)Chelyabinsk

Women

YearMarkAthletePlace
1970Antonina Lazareva (Soviet Union)Kyiv
1971Ilona Gusenbauer (Austria)Vienna
1972Yordanka Blagoeva (Bulgaria)Zagreb
1973Yordanka Blagoeva (Bulgaria)Warsaw
1974Rosemarie Ackermann (East Germany)Rome
1975Rosemarie Ackermann (East Germany)Nice
1976Rosemarie Ackermann (East Germany)Dresden
1977Rosemarie Ackermann (East Germany)Berlin
1978Sara Simeoni (Italy)Brescia
1979Rosemarie Ackermann (East Germany)Turin
1980Sara Simeoni (Italy)Turin
1981Pam Spencer (United States)Brussels
1982Ulrike Meyfarth (West Germany)Athens
1983Tamara Bykova (Soviet Union)Pisa
Budapest
1984Lyudmila Andonova (Bulgaria)Berlin
1985Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Moscow
1986Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Sofia
1987Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Rome
1988Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Sofia
1989Silvia Costa (Cuba)Barcelona
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Pireás
1990Yelena Yelesina (Soviet Union)Seattle
1991Heike Henkel (Germany)Tokyo
1992 Heike Henkel (Germany)Karlsruhe
1993Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Fukuoka
1994 Alina Astafei (Germany)Berlin
1995Inga Babakova (Ukraine)Tokyo
1996Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Atlanta
1997Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)Osaka
Paris-Bercy
Inga Babakova (Ukraine)Fukuoka
1998Venelina Veneva (Bulgaria)Kalamata
1999Hestrie Cloete (South Africa)Monaco
2000Monica Iagăr (Romania)Villeneuve d'Ascq
2001Venelina Veneva (Bulgaria)Kalamáta
2002Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden)Poznań
2003Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden)Eberstadt
Hestrie Cloete (South Africa)Saint-Denis
2004Yelena Slesarenko (Russia)Athens
2005Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden)Sheffield
2006 Kajsa Bergqvist (Sweden)Arnstadt
2007Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)Stockholm
2008Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)Istanbul
Madrid
2009Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)Zagreb
2010 Blanka Vlašić (Croatia)Arnstadt
2011Anna Chicherova (Russia)Cheboksary
2012 Anna Chicherova (Russia)Arnstadt
2013Brigetta Barrett (United States)Des Moines
2014 Mariya Kuchina (Russia)Stockholm
Anna Chicherova (Russia)Eugene
Ruth Beitia (Spain)Zürich
2015Anna Chicherova (Russia)Lausanne
2016Chaunté Lowe (United States)Eugene
2017Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)Lausanne
2018Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)Paris
London
2019Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)Ostrava
2020 Mariya Lasitskene (Russia)Moscow
2021 Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Banská Bystrica
2022Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Brussels
2023Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Eugene
Nicola Olyslagers (Australia)Eugene
2024Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Paris
2025Nicola Olyslagers (Australia)Zürich
2026 Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)Lviv

See also

Sources

References

  1. ^ "Competition Rules 2010-2011; In Force as from 1st November 2009". International Association of Athletics Federations. p. 168; Rule 181 §§ 8, 9 [note marginal change lines]. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11.; Locteau, Sebastien (4 December 2009). "IAAF Technical Rule Changes 2009/2010.". RunIreland.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  2. ^ "C2.1: Technical Rulesv (In force from 1 November 2019 and amended on 31 January 2020*)". Book of Rules. World Athletics. pp. 59–65.
  3. ^ Admin, Runnerstribe (2022-08-19). "If The 'Flop' Had Flopped Would We Be Seeing The Brill Bend? - A Column by Len Johnson". Runner's Tribe. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  4. ^ CoachR. "The HIGH JUMP". www.coachr.org. Archived from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  5. ^ "The High Jump Approach - Training Article". Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  6. ^ "High Jump Technique and Training". Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  7. ^ Rosenbaum, Mike (27 October 2017). "Illustrated High Jump Technique". Liveabout.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Men's High Jump | Records". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  9. ^ "Women's High Jump | Records". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  10. ^ High Jump - men - senior - outdoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-01-25.
  11. ^ High Jump - women - senior - outdoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-01-25.
  12. ^ High Jump - men - senior - indoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-01-25.
  13. ^ High Jump - women - senior - indoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-01-25.
  14. ^ "Justin Gatlin rolls back the years as tyro Barshim basks". zeenews.india.com. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  15. ^ "High Jump Results". IAAF. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  16. ^ "High Jump Results". Diamond League - Lausanne. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  17. ^ "High Jump Results". sportresult.com. 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  18. ^ "FLASH: Mahuchikh breaks world high jump record with 2.10m in Paris | REPORTS | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  19. ^ "High Jump Results". sportresult.com. 6 July 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  20. ^ Bob Ramsak (20 June 2019). "Miller-Uibo breaks 300m world best, Lasitskene tops 2.06m and Kirt joins 90-metre club in Ostrava". IAAF. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  21. ^ "High Jump Result". sportresult.com. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.[dead link]
  22. ^ Jon Mulkeen (2 September 2022). "Krop, Mahuchikh and Winger bounce back in Brussels with world-leading marks". World Athletics. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  23. ^ Whittington, Jess (27 August 2025). "Olyslagers soars Oceanian record to clinch Diamond League crown on day one in Zurich". World Athletics. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  24. ^ "Athletics 'Battle Of The Sexes' Brought Lyssenko To Victory Over Lasitskene: 'I Didn't Wait'". easternherald.com. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.