High jump

Athletics High jump
Canadian high jumper Nicole Forrester demonstrating the Fosbury flop
World records
Men	Javier Sotomayor 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) (1993)
Women	Yaroslava Mahuchikh 2.10 m (6 ft 10+1⁄2 in) (2024)
Olympic records
Men	Charles Austin 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) (1996)
Women	Yelena Slesarenko 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) (2004)
World Championship records
Men	Bohdan Bondarenko 2.41 m (7 ft 10+3⁄4 in) (2013)
Women	Stefka Kostadinova 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in) (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 until developing 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 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) 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 2.10 m (6 ft 10+1⁄2 in) set in 2024.

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.

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

Competitor	Main competition							Jump-off			Place
	1.75m	1.80m	1.84m	1.88m	1.91m	1.94m	1.97m	1.91m	1.89m	1.91m
A	o	xo	o	xo	x	–	xx	x	o	x	2
B	–	xo	–	xo	–	–	xxx	x	o	o	1
C	–	o	xo	xo	–	xxx		x	x		3
D	–	xo	xo	xo	xxx						4

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.

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 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) 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 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) in 1912. His technique was predominant through the 1936 Berlin Olympics, in which the event was won by Cornelius Johnson at 2.03 m (6 ft 7+3⁄4 in).

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 ft (2.13m), in 1956. American John Thomas pushed the world mark to 2.23 m (7 ft 3+3⁄4 in) 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 2.28 m (7 ft 5+3⁄4 in) and won the gold medal of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, before a motorcycle accident ended his career in 1965.

American coaches, including two-time NCAA champion Frank Costello of the University of Maryland, flocked 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 2.30 m (7 ft 6+1⁄2 in) 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 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in), 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 metres (5 ft 8 in)-tall Franklin Jacobs of Paterson, New Jersey, who cleared 2.32 m (7 ft 7+1⁄4 in), 0.59 metres (1 ft 11 in) 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 2.33 m (7 ft 7+1⁄2 in). In 1978, he raised the record to 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in), and 2.35 m (7 ft 8+1⁄2 in) 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 2 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in), raised the world record from 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) to 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) 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 2.35 m (7 ft 8+1⁄2 in). Two years before, the female Italian flopper Sara Simeoni, the long-term rival of Ackermann, broke Ackermann's world record at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 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.

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.

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. Athletes generally mark their approach in order to find as much consistency as possible.

The approach run can be more important than the takeoff. If a high jumper runs with bad timing or without enough aggression, clearing the bar becomes more of a challenge. The approach requires a certain shape or curve, the right amount of speed, and the correct number of strides. The approach angle is also critical for optimal height.

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]

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 to 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.

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]

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

• As of July 2024^[update].^{[8][9][10][11]}

Ath.#	Perf.#	Mark	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref.
1	1	2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in)	Javier Sotomayor	Cuba	27 July 1993	Salamanca
	2	2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)	Sotomayor #2		29 July 1989	San Juan
	3	2.43 m (7 ft 11+1⁄2 in)	Sotomayor #3		8 September 1988	Salamanca
2	3	2.43 m (7 ft 11+1⁄2 in)	Mutaz Essa Barshim	Qatar	5 September 2014	Brussels	[12]
3	5	2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in)	Patrik Sjöberg	Sweden	30 June 1987	Stockholm
	5	2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in)	Sotomayor #4		5 June 1994	Seville
3	5	2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in)	Bohdan Bondarenko	Ukraine	14 June 2014	New York City	[13]
	5	2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in)	Barshim #2		14 June 2014	New York City	[13]
5	9	2.41 m (7 ft 10+3⁄4 in)	Igor Paklin	Soviet Union	4 September 1985	Kobe
	9	2.41 m (7 ft 10+3⁄4 in)	Sotomayor #5		25 June 1994	Havana
			Sotomayor #6		15 July 1994	London
			Bondarenko #2		4 July 2013	Lausanne
			Bondarenko #3		15 August 2013	Moscow
			Barshim #3		5 June 2014	Rome
			Barshim #4		22 August 2014	Eberstadt
			Barshim #5		30 May 2015	Eugene
6	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Rudolf Povarnitsyn	Soviet Union	11 August 1985	Donetsk
	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Sotomayor #7		12 March 1989	Havana
			Sjöberg #2		5 August 1989	Brussels
	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in) A	Sotomayor #8		13 August 1989	Bogotá
6	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Sorin Matei	Romania	20 June 1990	Bratislava
	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Sotomayor #9		19 July 1991	Paris
6	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Charles Austin	United States	7 August 1991	Zurich
	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Sotomayor #10		22 May 1993	Havana
			Sotomayor #11		23 July 1993	London
			Sotomayor #12		22 August 1993	Stuttgart
			Sotomayor #13		10 July 1994	Eberstadt
			Sotomayor #14		18 July 1994	Nice
			Sotomayor #15		29 July 1994	Saint Petersburg
			Sotomayor #16		11 September 1994	London
			Sotomayor #17		25 March 1995	Mar del Plata
6	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Vyacheslav Voronin	Russia	5 August 2000	London
	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Barshim #6		1 June 2013	Eugene
6	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Derek Drouin	Canada	25 April 2014	Des Moines
	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Bondarenko #4		11 May 2014	Tokyo
			Bondarenko #5		3 July 2014	Lausanne	[14]
6	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Andriy Protsenko	Ukraine	3 July 2014	Lausanne	[14]
	17	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Bondarenko #6		18 July 2014	Monaco
			Bondarenko #7		5 September 2014	Brussels	[12]
			Barshim #7		11 June 2016	Opole
			Barshim #8		20 August 2017	Birmingham
			Barshim #9		27 August 2017	Eberstadt
			Barshim #10		4 May 2018	Doha
			Barshim #11		2 July 2018	Székesfehérvár
12		2.39 m (7 ft 10 in)	Zhu Jianhua	China	10 June 1984	Eberstadt
			Hollis Conway	United States	30 July 1989	Norman
			Ivan Ukhov	Russia	5 July 2012	Cheboksary
			Gianmarco Tamberi	Italy	15 July 2016	Monaco	[15]
16		2.38 m (7 ft 9+1⁄2 in)	Hennadiy Avdyeyenko	Soviet Union	6 September 1987	Rome
			Sergey Malchenko	Soviet Union	4 September 1988	Banská Bystrica
			Dragutin Topić	Yugoslavia	1 August 1993	Belgrade
			Troy Kemp	Bahamas	12 July 1995	Nice
			Artur Partyka	Poland	18 August 1996	Eberstadt
			Jacques Freitag	South Africa	5 March 2005	Oudtshoorn
			Andriy Sokolovskyy	Ukraine	8 July 2005	Rome
			Andrey Silnov	Russia	25 July 2008	London
			Zhang Guowei	China	30 May 2015	Eugene
			Danil Lysenko	Authorised Neutral Athletes	27 August 2017	Eberstadt

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

Mark	Athlete	Date	Place	Ref
2.41 m (7 ft 10+3⁄4 in)	Ivan Ukhov (RUS)	10 May 2014	Doha
2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Danil Lysenko (RUS)	20 July 2018	Monaco

Ath.#	Perf.#	Mark	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref.
1	1	2.10 m (6 ft 10+1⁄2 in)	Yaroslava Mahuchikh	Ukraine	7 July 2024	Paris	[16]
2	2	2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Stefka Kostadinova	Bulgaria	30 August 1987	Rome
	3	2.08 m (6 ft 9+3⁄4 in)	Kostadinova #2		31 May 1986	Sofia
3	3	2.08 m (6 ft 9+3⁄4 in)	Blanka Vlašić	Croatia	31 August 2009	Zagreb
4	5	2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in)	Lyudmila Andonova	Bulgaria	20 July 1984	Berlin
	5	2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in)	Kostadinova #3		25 May 1986	Sofia
			Kostadinova #4		16 September 1987	Cagliari
			Kostadinova #5		3 September 1988	Sofia
			Vlašić #2		7 August 2007	Stockholm
4	5	2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in)	Anna Chicherova	Russia	22 July 2011	Cheboksary
	11	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)	Kostadinova #6		18 August 1985	Moscow
			Kostadinova #7		15 June 1986	Fürth
			Kostadinova #8		14 September 1986	Cagliari
			Kostadinova #9		6 June 1987	Worrstadt
			Kostadinova #10		8 September 1987	Rieti
6	11	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)	Kajsa Bergqvist	Sweden	26 July 2003	Eberstadt
			Hestrie Cloete	South Africa	31 August 2003	Paris
			Yelena Slesarenko	Russia	28 August 2004	Athens
	11	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)	Vlašić #3		30 July 2007	Thessaloniki
			Vlašić #4		22 June 2008	Istanbul
			Vlašić #5		5 July 2008	Madrid
6	11	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)	Ariane Friedrich	Germany	14 June 2009	Berlin
			Mariya Lasitskene	Authorised Neutral Athletes	6 July 2017	Lausanne	[17]
	11	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)	Lasitskene #2		20 June 2019	Ostrava	[18]
11	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Tamara Bykova	Soviet Union	22 June 1984	Kyiv
	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Kostadinova #11		14 June 1986	Worrstadt
			Kostadinova #12		7 September 1986	Rieti
			Kostadinova #13		4 July 1987	Oslo
			Kostadinova #14		13 September 1987	Padua
			Kostadinova #15		12 August 1988	Budapest
11	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Heike Henkel	Germany	31 August 1991	Tokyo
	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Kostadinova #16		4 July 1992	San Marino
			Kostadinova #17		18 September 1993	Fukuoka
11	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Inha Babakova	Ukraine	15 September 1995	Tokyo
	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Kostadinova #18		3 August 1996	Atlanta
			Bergqvist #2		18 August 2002	Poznań
			Cloete #2		10 August 2003	Berlin
			Bergqvist #3		28 July 2006	London
			Vlašić #6		21 July 2007	Madrid
			Vlašić #7		2 September 2007	Osaka
			Vlašić #8		12 June 2008	Ostrava
			Vlašić #9		1 July 2008	Bydgoszcz
11	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Tia Hellebaut	Belgium	23 August 2008	Beijing
	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Vlašić #10		23 August 2008	Beijing
			Vlašić #11		8 May 2009	Doha
11	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Chaunté Lowe	United States	26 June 2010	Des Moines
	25	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Vlašić #12		5 September 2010	Split
			Chicherova #2		16 September 2011	Brussels
			Chicherova #3		11 August 2012	London
			Lasitskene #3		21 July 2017	Monaco
			Lasitskene #4		8 September 2021	Zurich	[19]
			Mahuchikh #2		2 September 2022	Brussels	[20]
16		2.04 m (6 ft 8+1⁄4 in)	Silvia Costa	Cuba	9 September 1989	Barcelona
			Venelina Veneva-Mateeva	Bulgaria	2 June 2001	Kalamata
			Irina Gordeeva	Russia	19 August 2012	Eberstadt
			Brigetta Barrett	United States	22 June 2013	Des Moines
20		2.03 m (6 ft 7+3⁄4 in)	Ulrike Meyfarth	West Germany	21 August 1983	London
			Louise Ritter	United States	8 July 1988	Austin
			Tatyana Motkova	Russia	30 May 1995	Bratislava
			Niki Bakoyianni	Greece	3 August 1996	Atlanta
			Antonietta Di Martino	Italy	24 June 2007	Milan
			Nicola Olyslagers	Australia	17 September 2023	Eugene	[21]

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Date	Place	Ref
1	2.43 m (7 ft 11+1⁄2 in)	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	4 March 1989	Budapest
2	2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in)	Carlo Thränhardt (FRG)	26 February 1988	Berlin
3	2.41 m (7 ft 10+3⁄4 in)	Patrik Sjöberg (SWE)	1 February 1987	Piraeus
		Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)	18 February 2015	Athlone
5	2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in)	Hollis Conway (USA)	10 March 1991	Seville
		Stefan Holm (SWE)	6 March 2005	Madrid
		Ivan Ukhov (RUS)	25 February 2009	Piraeus
		Aleksey Dmitrik (RUS)	8 February 2014	Arnstadt
9	2.39 m (7 ft 10 in)	Dietmar Mögenburg (FRG)	24 February 1985	Cologne
		Ralf Sonn (GER)	1 March 1991	Berlin
11	2.38 m (7 ft 9+1⁄2 in)	Igor Paklin (URS)	7 March 1987	Indianapolis
		Gennadiy Avdeyenko (URS)	7 March 1987	Indianapolis
		Steve Smith (GBR)	4 February 1994	Wuppertal
		Wolf-Hendrik Beyer (GER)	18 March 1994	Weinheim
		Sorin Matei (ROU)	3 February 1995	Wuppertal
		Matt Hemingway (USA)	4 March 2000	Atlanta
		Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	15 February 2005	Stockholm
		Linus Thörnblad (SWE)	25 February 2007	Gothenburg
		Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)	13 February 2016	Hustopeče
		Danil Lysenko (RUS)	29 January 2023	Moscow	[22]
21	2.37 m (7 ft 9+1⁄4 in)	Artur Partyka (POL)	3 February 1991	Sulingen
		Dalton Grant (GBR)	13 March 1994	Paris
		Charles Austin (USA)	1 March 1996	Atlanta
		Vyacheslav Voronin (RUS)	5 March 2005	Glasgow
		Jaroslav Bába (CZE)	5 February 2000	Arnstadt
		Andrey Silnov (RUS)	2 February 2008	Arnstadt
		Maksim Nedasekau (BLR)	7 March 2021	Toruń

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

Mark	Athlete	Date	Place	Ref
2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in)	Ivan Ukhov (RUS)	25 February 2014	Prague

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Date	Place	Ref
1	2.08 m (6 ft 9+3⁄4 in)	Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)	4 February 2006	Arnstadt
2	2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in)	Heike Henkel (GER)	8 February 1992	Karlsruhe
3	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	20 February 1988	Athens
		Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	6 February 2010	Arnstadt
		Anna Chicherova (RUS)	4 February 2012	Arnstadt
		Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)	2 February 2021	Banská Bystrica	[17]
7	2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	Tia Hellebaut (BEL)	3 March 2007	Birmingham
		Ariane Friedrich (GER)	15 February 2009	Karlsruhe
		Mariya Lasitskene (RUS)	9 February 2020	Moscow
10	2.04 m (6 ft 8+1⁄4 in)	Alina Astafei (GER)	3 March 1995	Berlin
		Yelena Slesarenko (RUS)	7 March 2004	Budapest
		Antonietta Di Martino (ITA)	9 February 2011	Banská Bystrica
13	2.03 m (6 ft 7+3⁄4 in)	Tamara Bykova (URS)	6 March 1983	Budapest
		Monica Iagăr (ROU)	23 January 1999	Bucharest
		Marina Kuptsova (RUS)	2 March 2002	Vienna
16	2.02 m (6 ft 7+1⁄2 in)	Susanne Beyer (GDR)	8 March 1987	Indianapolis
		Venelina Veneva-Mateeva (BUL)	2 February 2002	Łódź
		Yelena Yelesina (RUS)	26 February 2003	Moscow
	2.02 m (6 ft 7+1⁄2 in) A	Chaunte Lowe (USA)	26 February 2012	Albuquerque
	2.02 m (6 ft 7+1⁄2 in)	Kamila Lićwinko (POL)	21 February 2015	Toruń
21	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	Gabriele Günz (GDR)	31 January 1988	Stuttgart
		Ioamnet Quintero (CUB)	5 March 1993	Berlin
		Tisha Waller (USA)	28 February 1998	Atlanta
		Ruth Beitia (ESP)	24 February 2007	Piraeus
		Vita Palamar (UKR)	9 March 2008	Valencia
		Irina Gordeeva (RUS)	28 January 2009	Cottbus
		Airinė Palšytė (LTU)	4 March 2017	Belgrade

edit

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1896 Athens details	Ellery Harding Clark  United States	James Brendan Connolly  United States	none awarded
		Robert Garrett  United States
1900 Paris details	Irving Baxter  United States	Patrick Leahy  Great Britain	Lajos Gönczy  Hungary
1904 St. Louis details	Samuel Jones  United States	Garrett Serviss  United States	Paul Weinstein  Germany
1908 London details	Harry Porter  United States	Géo André  France	none awarded
		Con Leahy  Great Britain
		István Somodi  Hungary
1912 Stockholm details	Alma Richards  United States	Hans Liesche  Germany	George Horine  United States
1920 Antwerp details	Richmond Landon  United States	Harold Muller  United States	Bo Ekelund  Sweden
1924 Paris details	Harold Osborn  United States	Leroy Brown  United States	Pierre Lewden  France
1928 Amsterdam details	Bob King  United States	Benjamin Hedges  United States	Claude Ménard  France
1932 Los Angeles details	Duncan McNaughton  Canada	Bob Van Osdel  United States	Simeon Toribio  Philippines
1936 Berlin details	Cornelius Johnson  United States	Dave Albritton  United States	Delos Thurber  United States
1948 London details	John Winter  Australia	Bjørn Paulson  Norway	George Stanich  United States
1952 Helsinki details	Walt Davis  United States	Ken Wiesner  United States	José da Conceição  Brazil
1956 Melbourne details	Charles Dumas  United States	Chilla Porter  Australia	Igor Kashkarov  Soviet Union
1960 Rome details	Robert Shavlakadze  Soviet Union	Valeriy Brumel  Soviet Union	John Thomas  United States
1964 Tokyo details	Valeriy Brumel  Soviet Union	John Thomas  United States	John Rambo  United States
1968 Mexico City details	Dick Fosbury  United States	Ed Caruthers  United States	Valentin Gavrilov  Soviet Union
1972 Munich details	Jüri Tarmak  Soviet Union	Stefan Junge  East Germany	Dwight Stones  United States
1976 Montreal details	Jacek Wszoła  Poland	Greg Joy  Canada	Dwight Stones  United States
1980 Moscow details	Gerd Wessig  East Germany	Jacek Wszoła  Poland	Jörg Freimuth  East Germany
1984 Los Angeles details	Dietmar Mögenburg  West Germany	Patrik Sjöberg  Sweden	Zhu Jianhua  China
1988 Seoul details	Hennadiy Avdyeyenko  Soviet Union	Hollis Conway  United States	Rudolf Povarnitsyn  Soviet Union
			Patrik Sjöberg  Sweden
1992 Barcelona details	Javier Sotomayor  Cuba	Patrik Sjöberg  Sweden	Hollis Conway  United States
			Tim Forsyth  Australia
			Artur Partyka  Poland
1996 Atlanta details	Charles Austin  United States	Artur Partyka  Poland	Steve Smith  Great Britain
2000 Sydney details	Sergey Klyugin  Russia	Javier Sotomayor  Cuba	Abderahmane Hammad  Algeria
2004 Athens details	Stefan Holm  Sweden	Matt Hemingway  United States	Jaroslav Bába  Czech Republic
2008 Beijing details	Andrey Silnov  Russia	Germaine Mason  Great Britain	Yaroslav Rybakov  Russia
2012 London details	Erik Kynard  United States	Mutaz Essa Barshim  Qatar	none awarded
		Derek Drouin  Canada
		Robbie Grabarz  Great Britain
2016 Rio de Janeiro details	Derek Drouin  Canada	Mutaz Essa Barshim  Qatar	Bohdan Bondarenko  Ukraine
2020 Tokyo details	Gianmarco Tamberi  Italy	none awarded	Maksim Nedasekau  Belarus
	Mutaz Essa Barshim  Qatar
2024 Paris details	Hamish Kerr  New Zealand	Shelby McEwen  United States	Mutaz Essa Barshim  Qatar

edit

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1928 Amsterdam details	Ethel Catherwood  Canada	Lien Gisolf  Netherlands	Mildred Wiley  United States
1932 Los Angeles details	Jean Shiley  United States	Babe Didrikson  United States	Eva Dawes  Canada
1936 Berlin details	Ibolya Csák  Hungary	Dorothy Odam  Great Britain	Elfriede Kaun  Germany
1948 London details	Alice Coachman  United States	Dorothy Tyler  Great Britain	Micheline Ostermeyer  France
1952 Helsinki details	Esther Brand  South Africa	Sheila Lerwill  Great Britain	Aleksandra Chudina  Soviet Union
1956 Melbourne details	Mildred McDaniel  United States	Thelma Hopkins  Great Britain	none awarded
		Mariya Pisareva  Soviet Union
1960 Rome details	Iolanda Balaș  Romania	Jarosława Jóźwiakowska  Poland	none awarded
		Dorothy Shirley  Great Britain
1964 Tokyo details	Iolanda Balaș  Romania	Michele Brown  Australia	Taisia Chenchik  Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City details	Miloslava Rezková  Czechoslovakia	Antonina Okorokova  Soviet Union	Valentina Kozyr  Soviet Union
1972 Munich details	Ulrike Meyfarth  West Germany	Yordanka Blagoeva  Bulgaria	Ilona Gusenbauer  Austria
1976 Montreal details	Rosemarie Ackermann  East Germany	Sara Simeoni  Italy	Yordanka Blagoeva  Bulgaria
1980 Moscow details	Sara Simeoni  Italy	Urszula Kielan  Poland	Jutta Kirst  East Germany
1984 Los Angeles details	Ulrike Meyfarth  West Germany	Sara Simeoni  Italy	Joni Huntley  United States
1988 Seoul details	Louise Ritter  United States	Stefka Kostadinova  Bulgaria	Tamara Bykova  Soviet Union
1992 Barcelona details	Heike Henkel  Germany	Alina Astafei  Romania	Ioamnet Quintero  Cuba
1996 Atlanta details	Stefka Kostadinova  Bulgaria	Niki Bakoyianni  Greece	Inha Babakova  Ukraine
2000 Sydney details	Yelena Yelesina  Russia	Hestrie Cloete  South Africa	Kajsa Bergqvist  Sweden
			Oana Pantelimon  Romania
2004 Athens details	Yelena Slesarenko  Russia	Hestrie Cloete  South Africa	Vita Styopina  Ukraine
2008 Beijing details	Tia Hellebaut  Belgium	Blanka Vlašić  Croatia	Chaunté Howard  United States
2012 London details	Anna Chicherova  Russia	Brigetta Barrett  United States	Ruth Beitia  Spain
2016 Rio de Janeiro details	Ruth Beitia  Spain	Mirela Demireva  Bulgaria	Blanka Vlašić  Croatia
2020 Tokyo details	Mariya Lasitskene  ROC	Nicola McDermott  Australia	Yaroslava Mahuchikh  Ukraine
2024 Paris details	Yaroslava Mahuchikh  Ukraine	Nicola Olyslagers  Australia	Iryna Herashchenko  Ukraine
			Eleanor Patterson  Australia

Championships	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1983 Helsinki details	Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS)	Tyke Peacock (USA)	Zhu Jianhua (CHN)
1987 Rome details	Patrik Sjöberg (SWE)	Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS)  Igor Paklin (URS)	none awarded
1991 Tokyo details	Charles Austin (USA)	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Hollis Conway (USA)
1993 Stuttgart details	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Artur Partyka (POL)	Steve Smith (GBR)
1995 Gothenburg details	Troy Kemp (BAH)	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Artur Partyka (POL)
1997 Athens details	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Artur Partyka (POL)	Tim Forsyth (AUS)
1999 Seville details	Vyacheslav Voronin (RUS)	Mark Boswell (CAN)	Martin Buß (GER)
2001 Edmonton details	Martin Buß (GER)	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)  Vyacheslav Voronin (RUS)	none awarded
2003 Saint-Denis details	Jacques Freitag (RSA)	Stefan Holm (SWE)	Mark Boswell (CAN)
2005 Helsinki details	Yuriy Krymarenko (UKR)	Víctor Moya (CUB)  Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	none awarded
2007 Osaka details	Donald Thomas (BAH)	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	Kyriakos Ioannou (CYP)
2009 Berlin details	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	Kyriakos Ioannou (CYP)	Sylwester Bednarek (POL)  Raúl Spank (GER)
2011 Daegu details	Jesse Williams (USA)	Aleksey Dmitrik (RUS)	Trevor Barry (BAH)
2013 Moscow details	Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR)	Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)	Derek Drouin (CAN)
2015 Beijing details	Derek Drouin (CAN)	Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR)  Zhang Guowei (CHN)	none awarded
2017 London details	Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)	Danil Lysenko (ANA)	Majd Eddin Ghazal (SYR)
2019 Doha details	Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)	Mikhail Akimenko (ANA)	Ilya Ivanyuk (ANA)
2022 Eugene details	Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)	Woo Sang-hyeok (KOR)	Andriy Protsenko (UKR)
2023 Budapest details	Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)	JuVaughn Harrison (USA)	Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Qatar (QAT)	3	1	1	5
2	Russia (RUS)	2	5	0	7
3	Cuba (CUB)	2	3	0	5
4	United States (USA)	2	2	1	5
5	Ukraine (UKR)	2	1	1	4
6	Bahamas (BAH)	2	0	1	3
7	Soviet Union (URS)	1	2	0	3
8	Canada (CAN)	1	1	2	4
9	Sweden (SWE)	1	1	0	2
10	Germany (GER)	1	0	2	3
11	Italy (ITA)	1	0	0	1
	South Africa (RSA)	1	0	0	1
13	Poland (POL)	0	2	2	4
–	Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA)	0	2	1	3
14	China (CHN)	0	1	1	2
	Cyprus (CYP)	0	1	1	2
16	South Korea (KOR)	0	1	0	1
17	Australia (AUS)	0	0	1	1
	Great Britain (GBR)	0	0	1	1
	Syria (SYR)	0	0	1	1
Totals (19 entries)		19	23	16	58

Championships	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1983 Helsinki details	Tamara Bykova (URS)	Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG)	Louise Ritter (USA)
1987 Rome details	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	Tamara Bykova (URS)	Susanne Beyer (GDR)
1991 Tokyo details	Heike Henkel (GER)	Yelena Yelesina (URS)	Inha Babakova (URS)
1993 Stuttgart details	Ioamnet Quintero (CUB)	Silvia Costa (CUB)	Sigrid Kirchmann (AUT)
1995 Gothenburg details	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	Alina Astafei (GER)	Inha Babakova (UKR)
1997 Athens details	Hanne Haugland (NOR)	Inha Babakova (UKR)  Olga Kaliturina (RUS)	none awarded
1999 Seville details	Inha Babakova (UKR)	Yelena Yelesina (RUS)	Svetlana Lapina (RUS)
2001 Edmonton details	Hestrie Cloete (RSA)	Inha Babakova (UKR)	Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)
2003 Saint-Denis details	Hestrie Cloete (RSA)	Marina Kuptsova (RUS)	Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)
2005 Helsinki details	Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)	Chaunté Howard (USA)	Emma Green (SWE)
2007 Osaka details	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	Anna Chicherova (RUS)  Antonietta Di Martino (ITA)	none awarded
2009 Berlin details	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	Ariane Friedrich (GER)	Antonietta Di Martino (ITA)
2011 Daegu details	Anna Chicherova (RUS)	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	Antonietta Di Martino (ITA)
2013 Moscow details	Brigetta Barrett (USA)	Anna Chicherova (RUS)  Ruth Beitia (ESP)	none awarded
2015 Beijing details	Mariya Kuchina (RUS)	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	Anna Chicherova (RUS)
2017 London details	Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)	Yuliya Levchenko (UKR)	Kamila Lićwinko (POL)
2019 Doha details	Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)	Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)	Vashti Cunningham (USA)
2022 Eugene details	Eleanor Patterson (AUS)	Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)	Elena Vallortigara (ITA)
2023 Budapest details	Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)	Eleanor Patterson (AUS)	Nicola Olyslagers (AUS)

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1985 Paris[A] details	Patrik Sjöberg (SWE)	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Othmane Belfaa (ALG)
1987 Indianapolis details	Igor Paklin (URS)	Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS)	Ján Zvara (TCH)
1989 Budapest details	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Dietmar Mögenburg (FRG)	Patrik Sjöberg (SWE)
1991 Seville details	Hollis Conway (USA)	Artur Partyka (POL)	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)  Aleksey Yemelin (URS)
1993 Toronto details	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Patrik Sjöberg (SWE)	Steve Smith (GBR)
1995 Barcelona details	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Labros Papakostas (GRE)	Tony Barton (USA)
1997 Paris details	Charles Austin (USA)	Labros Papakostas (GRE)	Dragutin Topić (FRY)
1999 Maebashi details	Javier Sotomayor (CUB)	Vyacheslav Voronin (RUS)	Charles Austin (USA)
2001 Lisbon details	Stefan Holm (SWE)	Andriy Sokolovskyy (UKR)	Staffan Strand (SWE)
2003 Birmingham details	Stefan Holm (SWE)	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	Henadz Maroz (BLR)
2004 Budapest details	Stefan Holm (SWE)	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	Ștefan Vasilache (ROU)  Germaine Mason (JAM)  Jaroslav Bába (CZE)
2006 Moscow details	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	Andrey Tereshin (RUS)	Linus Thörnblad (SWE)
2008 Valencia details	Stefan Holm (SWE)	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	Kyriakos Ioannou (CYP)  Andra Manson (USA)
2010 Doha details	Ivan Ukhov (RUS)	Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS)	Dusty Jonas (USA)
2012 Istanbul details	Dimitrios Chondrokoukis (GRE)	Andrey Silnov (RUS)	Ivan Ukhov (RUS)
2014 Sopot details	Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)	Ivan Ukhov (RUS)	Andriy Protsenko (UKR)
2016 Portland details	Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)	Robert Grabarz (GBR)	Erik Kynard (USA)
2018 Birmingham details	Danil Lysenko (ANA)	Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)	Mateusz Przybylko (GER)
2022 Belgrade details	Woo Sang-hyeok (KOR)	Loïc Gasch (SUI)	Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)  Hamish Kerr (NZL)
2024 Glasgow details	Hamish Kerr (NZL)	Shelby McEwen (USA)	Woo Sang-hyeok (KOR)

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1985 Paris[A] details	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	Susanne Lorentzon (SWE)	Debbie Brill (CAN)  Danuta Bułkowska (POL)  Silvia Costa (CUB)
1987 Indianapolis details	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	Susanne Beyer (GDR)	Emilia Dragieva (BUL)
1989 Budapest details	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	Tamara Bykova (URS)	Heike Redetzky (FRG)
1991 Seville details	Heike Henkel (GER)	Tamara Bykova (URS)	Heike Balck (GER)
1993 Toronto details	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	Heike Henkel (GER)	Inha Babakova (UKR)
1995 Barcelona details	Alina Astafei (GER)	Britta Bilač (SLO)	Heike Henkel (GER)
1997 Paris details	Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)	Inha Babakova (UKR)	Hanne Haugland (NOR)
1999 Maebashi details	Khristina Kalcheva (BUL)	Zuzana Hlavoňová (CZE)	Tisha Waller (USA)
2001 Lisbon details	Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)	Inha Babakova (UKR)	Venelina Veneva (BUL)
2003 Birmingham details	Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)	Yelena Yelesina (RUS)	Anna Chicherova (RUS)
2004 Budapest details	Yelena Slesarenko (RUS)	Anna Chicherova (RUS)	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)
2006 Moscow details	Yelena Slesarenko (RUS)	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	Ruth Beitia (ESP)
2008 Valencia details	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	Yelena Slesarenko (RUS)	Vita Palamar (UKR)
2010 Doha details	Blanka Vlašić (CRO)	Ruth Beitia (ESP)	Chaunté Lowe (USA)
2012 Istanbul details	Chaunté Lowe (USA)	Antonietta Di Martino (ITA)  Anna Chicherova (RUS)  Ebba Jungmark (SWE)	none awarded
2014 Sopot details	Mariya Kuchina (RUS)  Kamila Lićwinko (POL)	none awarded	Ruth Beitia (ESP)
2016 Portland details	Vashti Cunningham (USA)	Ruth Beitia (ESP)	Kamila Lićwinko (POL)
2018 Birmingham details	Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)	Vashti Cunningham (USA)	Alessia Trost (ITA)
2022 Belgrade details	Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)	Eleanor Patterson (AUS)	Nadezhda Dubovitskaya (KAZ)
2024 Glasgow details	Nicola Olyslagers (AUS)	Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)	Lia Apostolovski (SLO)

• ^A Known as the World Indoor Games.

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

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

• List of high jump national champions (men)
• List of high jump national champions (women)
• Standing high jump

• The Complete Book of Track and Field, by Tom McNab
• The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2000

• IAAF high jump homepage
• IAAF list of high-jump records in XML
• Vertical Jump Resource