Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump

Last updated

Contents

Men's high jump
at the Games of the XXII Olympiad
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-W0718-0022, Gerd Wessig.jpg
Gerd Wessig earlier in 1980
Venue Lenin Stadium
Dates31 July-1 August
Competitors30 from 19 nations
Winning height2.36 WR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Gerd Wessig
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany
Silver medal icon.svg Jacek Wszoła
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Bronze medal icon.svg Jörg Freimuth
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany
  1976
1984  

The men's high jump event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union, had an entry list of 30 competitors from 19 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was held on Friday 1 August 1980. [1] The event was won by Gerd Wessig of East Germany, the first gold medal by a German athlete in the men's high jump. It was also the first time a world record in the high jump had been set at the Olympics. Jörg Freimuth took bronze, making East Germany the third nation (after the United States and Soviet Union) to have two medalists in the event in the same Games. Defending champion Jacek Wszoła of Poland took silver, becoming the fourth man to win two high jump medals and matching Valeriy Brumel for best results at one gold and one silver. Through the 2016 Games, Wszoła, Brumel, and Javier Sotomayor (who joined them at one gold and one silver in 2000) remain the most successful Olympic men's high jumpers; no high jumper has won two gold medals, or one gold and two silvers. Due at least in part to the American-led boycott, the United States' streak of making the podium in every Olympic men's high jump event to date (18 times before 1980) ended.

Background

This was the 19th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The only returning finalist from the 1976 Games was gold medalist Jacek Wszoła of Poland. Four men had broken or tied the world record since the Montreal Games, but Wszoła was the only one in Moscow. American Dwight Stones (2.32 metres just days after taking bronze in Montreal) was absent due to the American-led boycott. Vladimir Yashchenko of the Soviet Union (2.33 metres in 1977, 2.34 metres in 1978) was injured. Wszoła had set the then-current record of 2.35 metres in 1980; Dietmar Mögenburg of West Germany had matched it the next day. Mögenburg was also absent due to the boycott. This left Wszoła as the "heavy favorite." [2]

Algeria, Senegal, and Syria each made their debut in the event. France appeared for the 16th time, most of any nation competing but behind the absent United States (18 appearances) and tied with the also-absent Sweden (16 appearances).

Competition format

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1912. There were two distinct rounds of jumping with results cleared between rounds. Jumpers were eliminated if they had three consecutive failures, whether at a single height or between multiple heights if they attempted to advance before clearing a height.

The qualifying round had the bar set at 2.05 metres, 2.10 metres, 2.15 metres, 2.18 metres, and 2.21 metres. All jumpers clearing 2.21 metres in the qualifying round advanced to the final. If fewer than 12 jumpers could achieve it, the top 12 (including ties) would advance to the final.

The final had jumps at 2.10 metres, 2.15 metres, 2.18 metres, 2.21 metres, 2.24 metres, 2.27 metres, 2.29 metres, 2.31 metres, 2.33 metres, 2.36 metres, and 2.38 metres. [2] [3]

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

World recordFlag of Poland.svg  Jacek Wszoła  (POL)2.35 Eberstadt, West Germany 25 May 1980
Olympic recordFlag of Poland (1928-1980).svg  Jacek Wszoła  (POL)2.25 Montreal, Canada 31 July 1976

All three East Germans, as well as Jacek Wszoła, successfully jumped 2.27 metres to beat the Olympic record; the four men each cleared 2.29 metres as well. The medalists (Gerd Wessig, Wszoła, and Jörg Freimuth) were the three men to clear 2.31. Only Wessig succeeded at 2.33 metres; he then went for a new world record at 2.36, clearing it in his second attempt. He could not extend his new record to 2.38 metres, however.

Schedule

All times are Moscow Time (UTC+3)

DateTimeRound
Thursday, 31 July 198010:00Qualifying
Saturday, 1 August 198016:30Final

Results

Key

Qualifying

The qualifying round was held on Thursday July 31, 1980.

RankGroupAthleteNation2.052.102.152.182.21HeightNotes
1B Mark Naylor Olympic flag.svg  Great Britain oooo2.21Q
2A Jörg Freimuth Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany ooooo2.21Q
A Henry Lauterbach Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany ooooo2.21Q
A Gerd Wessig Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany ooooo2.21Q
5A Roland Dalhäuser Olympic flag.svg  Switzerland ooxoo2.21Q
6A Aleksey Demyanyuk Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union xoxoooo2.21Q
A Gennadiy Belkov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union oooxxoo2.21Q
A Marco Tamberi Olympic flag.svg  Italy oooxxoo2.21Q
B Vaso Komnenić Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg  Yugoslavia oooxxoo2.21Q
10B Sorin Matei Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania oxoxxoo2.21Q
11A Jacek Wszoła Flag of Poland.svg  Poland oooxo2.21Q
12A Adrian Proteasa Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania xxooxoxo2.21Q
13A Aleksandr Grigoryev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union oooxxo2.21Q
14B Guy Moreau Olympic flag.svg  Belgium oooxoxxo2.21Q
15A Janusz Trzepizur Flag of Poland.svg  Poland xoxooxxo2.21Q
16B Roberto Cabrejas Spain Olympic Flag 1980.svg  Spain ooxoxxoxxo2.21Q
17A Francis Agbo Olympic flag.svg  France oooxxx2.18
18A Oscar Raise Olympic flag.svg  Italy ooxooxxx2.18
19A Zoltán Torsi Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary oxoxooxxx2.18
20A Paolo Borghi Olympic flag.svg  Italy oooxoxxx2.18
21B Abdel Hamid Sahil Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria xoooxxoxxx2.18
22B Martí Perarnau Spain Olympic Flag 1980.svg  Spain oxooxxx2.15
23B István Gibicsár Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary xooxxoxxx2.15
24B Atanas Mladenov Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Bulgaria ooxxx2.10
B Desmond Morris Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica ooxxx2.10
26B Francisco Centelles Flag of Cuba (3-2).svg  Cuba xoxxx2.10
27B Moussa Sagna Fall Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal oxoxxx2.10
28B Othmane Belfaa Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria oxxx2.05
29B Ahmad Balkis Flag of Syria.svg  Syria xoxxx2.05
B Cláudio Freire Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg  Brazil xoxxx2.05

Final

RankAthleteNation2.102.152.182.212.242.272.292.312.332.362.38HeightNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Gerd Wessig Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany ooooxooxoxoxxx2.36 WR
Silver medal icon.svg Jacek Wszoła Flag of Poland.svg  Poland oxoxoooxoxxx2.31
Bronze medal icon.svg Jörg Freimuth Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany ooooxxooxoxxx2.31
4 Henry Lauterbach Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany oxxoxoooxxx2.29
5 Roland Dalhäuser Olympic flag.svg  Switzerland ooxoxxx2.24
6 Vaso Komnenić Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg  Yugoslavia oooxxoxxx2.24
7 Adrian Proteasa Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania oooxxx2.21
8 Aleksandr Grigoryev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union ooooxxx2.21
9 Mark Naylor Olympic flag.svg  Great Britain oxooxxx2.21
10 Gennadiy Belkov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union ooxooxxx2.21
11 Aleksey Demyanyuk Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union ooxoxxoxxx2.21
12 Janusz Trzepizur Flag of Poland.svg  Poland ooxxx2.18
13 Sorin Matei Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania oooxxx2.18
14 Guy Moreau Olympic flag.svg  Belgium ooxoxxx2.18
15 Marco Tamberi Olympic flag.svg  Italy ooxxx2.15
16 Roberto Cabrejas Spain Olympic Flag 1980.svg  Spain oxxx2.10

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High jump</span> Track and field event

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 introduced increasingly effective techniques to arrive at the current form, and the current universally preferred method is the Fosbury Flop, in which athletes run towards the bar and leap head first with their back to the bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javier Sotomayor</span> Cuban high jumper (born 1967)

Javier Sotomayor Sanabria is a Cuban former track and field athlete who specialized in the high jump and is the current world record holder. The 1992 Olympic champion, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s; his personal best of 2.45 m makes him the only person ever to have cleared eight feet. He cleared eight feet twice, the first time with 2.44m in 1989 in San Juan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacek Wszoła</span> Polish high jumper

Jacek Roman Wszoła is a retired Polish high jumper best known for winning gold and silver medals at the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics respectively. Wszoła is also a one-time world record holder with the result of 2.35 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span>

The men's high jump was one of four men's jumping events on the Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics program in Tokyo. Qualification was held on October 20, 1964, with the final on October 21. 29 athletes from 20 nations entered, with 1 not starting in the qualification round. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Valeriy Brumel of the Soviet Union, the nation's second consecutive victory in the men's high jump. Brumel, who had earned silver in 1960, and American John Thomas, who had previously taken bronze in 1960 and now won silver, became the first two men to win multiple medals in the Olympic high jump. John Rambo, also of the United States, won bronze to complete the podium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straddle technique</span> High jump technique

The straddle technique was the dominant style in the high jump before the development of the Fosbury Flop. It is a successor of the Western roll, for which it is sometimes confused.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dietmar Mögenburg</span> German high jumper

Dietmar Mögenburg is a (West) German former high jumper who won gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and at the 1982 European Championships in Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight Stones</span> American athletics competitor, high jumper, track and field commentator

Dwight Edwin Stones is an American television commentator and a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and former three-time world record holder in the men's high jump. During his 16-year career, he won 19 national championships. In 1984, Stones became the first athlete to both compete and serve as an announcer at the same Olympics. Since then, he has been a color analyst for all three major networks in the United States and continues to cover track and field on television. He served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Track and Field at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He is a member of the US Track Hall of Fame, the California Sports Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the Orange County Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerd Wessig</span> East German high jumper

Gerd Wessig was an East German high jumper who won the gold medal in the 1980 Summer Olympics, the first man ever to set a world record in the high jump at the Olympics.

The men's high jump competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, had an entry list of 27 competitors from 18 nations, with two qualifying groups before the final (16) took place on Sunday September 25, 1988. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. There were two bronze medals awarded. The event was won by Hennadiy Avdyeyenko of the Soviet Union, the nation's first victory in the men's high jump since 1972 and fourth overall. Hollis Conway's silver returned the United States to the podium after a two-Games absence that had disrupted the American streak of medaling in every Olympic men's high jump. Patrik Sjöberg's bronze made Sweden the fourth nation to medal in two consecutive Games, after the United States, the Soviet Union, and France. The other bronze medal went to Rudolf Povarnitsyn of the Soviet Union after the countback could not break the tie for third.

Gerd Nagel is a retired West German high jumper.

The men's high jump was an event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There were 38 competitors from 28 nations, with one non-starter. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Charles Austin of the United States, the nation's first victory in the men's high jump since 1968 and 13th overall. Artur Partyka of Poland became the seventh man to win two medals in the event, following his 1992 bronze with silver in these Games. Steve Smith's bronze was Great Britain's first medal in the men's high jump since 1908.

The men's high jump was an event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were 43 participating athletes from 27 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The qualification mark was set at 2.29 metres. The event was won by Javier Sotomayor of Cuba, the nation's first victory in the men's high jump. Patrik Sjöberg of Sweden earned silver, becoming the first man to win a third medal in the event, though he never won gold. Sweden was only the third country to have three consecutive podium appearances. A three-way tie for third could not be resolved by countback, so bronze medals were awarded to Tim Forsyth, Artur Partyka, and Hollis Conway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span>

The men's high jump event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on 10–11 August 1984. Thirty athletes from 20 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Dietmar Mögenburg of West Germany, the nation's first victory in the men's high jump. Patrik Sjöberg's silver was Sweden's first medal in the event since 1920. Zhu Jianhua won bronze in the People's Republic of China's first appearance. The United States, which had made the podium in each of the 18 editions of the high jump before the 1980 boycott, now missed the podium for the first time in which the country competed, as Dwight Stones in fourth place fell just short of becoming the first man to earn three medals in the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's triple jump</span>

The men's triple jump event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California had an entry list of 28 competitors, with two qualifying groups before the final (12) took place on August 4, 1984. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The top twelve and ties, and all those reaching 16.60 metres advanced to the final. The event was won by Al Joyner of the United States, the nation's first title in the men's long jump since 1904 and fourth overall. Mike Conley Sr., also an American, took silver. Keith Connor's bronze was Great Britain's first medal in the event since 1908. The Soviet boycott broke that nation's four-Games gold medal and eight-Games podium streaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span>

The men's high jump at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 17–19 August at the Beijing Olympic Stadium. Forty athletes from 28 nations competed. The event was won by Andrey Silnov of Russia, the nation's second victory in the men's high jump. Germaine Mason's silver was Great Britain's first medal in the event since 1996, and matched the nation's best-ever result. Silnov's countryman Yaroslav Rybakov won bronze, marking the first time since 1988 that a nation had two medalists in the men's high jump in the same Games. Reigning world champion Donald Thomas, who cleared 2.32 metres at Osaka 2007, finished in twenty-first place and failed to advance into the final round. For the first time, no American made the final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span>

The men's high jump event at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Olympic Stadium on Friday, 22 September and Sunday, 24 September. Thirty-five athletes from 24 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The high jump has been ever present since the beginning of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. The event was won by Sergey Klyugin of Russia, the nation's first medal and victory in the men's high jump in the nation's first appearance after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Javier Sotomayor of Cuba was the eighth man to win a second medal in the event ; he joined Valeriy Brumel and Jacek Wszoła as the most successful Olympic high jumpers in history with a gold and a silver—despite missing the 1984 and 1988 Games due to boycott and being hampered by injury in 1996. Abderrahmane Hammad's bronze was Algeria's first medal in the men's high jump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span>

The men's high jump event at the 1928 Olympic Games took place July 29. Thirty-five athletes from 17 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation was 4. Bob King won the final with a jump of 1.94 metres. Four other competitors cleared 1.91 metres, and their placement was decided via a jump-off. King's victory was the United States' eighth consecutive victory in the men's high jump; Benjamin Hedges's silver made it the third straight Games in which Americans went 1–2. Claude Ménard earned France's second consecutive bronze medal in the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span>

The men's high jump field event at the 1960 Olympic Games took place on September 1. Thirty-two athletes from 23 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Robert Shavlakadze of the Soviet Union, the nation's first victory in the men's high jump. Valery Brumel took silver; both men surpassed the previous best placing for the Soviet team of bronze. American John Thomas took bronze to keep alive the United States' streak of medaling in every edition of the Olympic men's high jump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span>

The men's high jump at the 1976 Summer Olympics took place on July 30 and 31 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada. Thirty-seven athletes from 23 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Jacek Wszoła of Poland, breaking the US/USSR hold on the men's high jump title. It was Poland's first medal in the event. Greg Joy's silver was Canada's first medal in the event since 1932. Dwight Stones won his second consecutive bronze medal, becoming the third man to win multiple medals in the high jump and keeping the United States' streak of podium appearances alive one final time. The Soviet streak of five Games with podium appearances in the event ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump</span> Olympic athletics event

The men's high jump event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place between 30 July and 1 August 2021 at the Olympic Stadium. 33 athletes from 24 nations competed; the total possible number depended on how many nations would use universality places to enter athletes in addition to the 32 qualifying through mark or ranking. Italian athlete Gianmarco Tamberi along with Qatari athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim emerged as joint winners of the event following a tie between both of them as they cleared 2.37m. Both Tamberi and Barshim agreed to share the gold medal in a rare instance where athletes of different nations had agreed to share the same medal in the history of the Olympics. Barshim in particular was heard to ask a competition official "Can we have two golds?" in response to being offered a "jump-off". Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus took bronze. The medals were the first ever in the men's high jump for Italy and Belarus, the first gold in the men's high jump for Italy and Qatar, and the third consecutive medal in the men's high jump for Qatar. Barshim became only the second man to earn 3 medals in high jump, joining Patrik Sjöberg of Sweden (1984–92).

References

  1. "Athletics at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games: Men's High Jump". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 "High Jump, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  3. Official Report, vol. 3, p. 53.