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

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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 the United Arab Republic (1958-1971), Flag of Syria (1980-2024).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

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.