High jump at the Olympic Games | |
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The 1904 high jump competition | |
Overview | |
Sport | Athletics |
Gender | Men and women |
Years held | Men: 1896 – 2020 Women: 1928 – 2020 |
Olympic record | |
Men | 2.39 m Charles Austin (1996) |
Women | 2.09 m Stefka Kostadinova (1998) World record |
Reigning champion | |
Men | ![]() ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
The high jump at the Summer Olympics is grouped among the four track and field jumping events held at the multi-sport event. The men's high jump has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first Summer Olympics in 1896. The women's high jump was one of five events to feature on the first women's athletics programme in 1928, and it was the only jumping event available to women until 1948, when the long jump was permitted.
The Olympic records for the event are 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) for men, set by Charles Austin in 1996, and 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in) for women, set by Stefka Kostadinova. Gerd Wessig is the only man to have set a world record in the Olympic high jump, having done so in 1980 with a mark of 2.36 m (7 ft 8+3⁄4 in). The women's world record has been broken on three occasions at the Olympics, with records coming in 1928, 1932 and 1972. [1]
Ellery Clark was the first Olympic champion in 1896 and Ethel Catherwood became the first female Olympic high jump champion 32 years later. Following the 2020 Olympics, Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy and Mutaz Essa Barshim from Qatar are the reigning men's Olympic champions and Mariya Lasitskene representing the Russian Olympic Committee is the reigning women's Olympic champion. Only two athletes have won two Olympic high jump titles, both women: Iolanda Balaș and Ulrike Meyfarth.
A standing high jump variant of the event was contested from 1900 to 1912 and standing jumps specialist Ray Ewry won all but one of the gold medals in its brief history.
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mutaz Essa Barshim | ![]() | 2012–2020 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
2 | Valeriy Brumel | ![]() | 1960–1964 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Jacek Wszoła | ![]() | 1976–1980 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Javier Sotomayor | ![]() | 1992–2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
5 | Derek Drouin | ![]() | 2012–2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
6 | Patrik Sjöberg | ![]() | 1984–1992 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
7 | John Thomas | ![]() | 1960–1964 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Hollis Conway | ![]() | 1988–1992 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Artur Partyka | ![]() | 1992–1996 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
10 | Dwight Stones | ![]() | 1972–1976 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 13 | 14 | 8 | 35 |
2 | ![]() | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
3 | ![]() | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
4 | ![]() | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
5 | ![]() | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
6 | ![]() | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
7 | ![]() | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
8 | ![]() | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
10 | ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
11 | ![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
13 | ![]() | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
14 | ![]() | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
15 | ![]() | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
![]() | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
17 | ![]() | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
18 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iolanda Balaş | ![]() | 1960–1964 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Ulrike Meyfarth | ![]() | 1972–1984 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
3 | Sara Simeoni | ![]() | 1976–1984 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
4 | Stefka Kostadinova | ![]() | 1988–1996 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
5 | Ruth Beitia | ![]() | 2012–2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
6 | Dorothy Tyler-Odam | ![]() | 1936–1948 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Hestrie Cloete | ![]() | 2000–2004 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
8 | Yordanka Blagoeva | ![]() | 1972–1976 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Blanka Vlašić | ![]() | 2008-2016 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
2 | ![]() | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
3 | ![]() | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
4 | ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
5 | ![]() | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
6 | ![]() | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
![]() | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
8 | ![]() | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
11 | ![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
16 | ![]() | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
17 | ![]() | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
18 | ![]() | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
![]() | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
20 | ![]() | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
21 | ![]() | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
![]() | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
23 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
24 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Standing high jump at the Olympic Games | |
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![]() Ray Ewry in the 1904 standing high jump competition | |
Overview | |
Sport | Athletics |
Gender | Men |
Years held | Men: 1900 – 1912 |
Olympic record | |
Men | 1.655 m Ray Ewry (1900) |
From 1900 to 1912 a variation of the event was contested at the Olympics where athletes had to high jump from a standing position. This was one of three standing jumps to have featured on the Olympic programme, alongside the standing long jump (present for the same period) and the standing triple jump (1900 and 1904 only). [2]
The standing jump competitions were dominated by Ray Ewry, who won the Olympic standing high jump titles in 1900, 1904 and 1908. His clearance of 1.655 m (5 ft 5 in) at the 1900 Olympics remained as the Olympic record for the event until its discontinuation in 1912. Ewry took Olympic three gold medals in standing jumps in both 1900 and 1904, then won the standing high and long jumps at the 1908 Olympics, as well as the 1906 Intercalated Games. [3] After Ewry's retirement, Platt Adams became the winner of the final Olympic standing high jump competition in 1912. [4]
The standing high jump—and standing jump events in general—had been a relatively common type of athletics event at the end of the 19th century, but became increasingly rare at top level national and international competitions as the 20th century progressed. [3] The Olympic event remains the only major international competition to have featured the event, except for the 1919 and 1920 editions of the South American Championships in Athletics. [5] The standing high jump retained some popularity as a championship event in Scandinavia in the second half of the century. [6] [7]
The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon. [8]
Continuing its presence since the first Olympics, a men's high jump event was contested at the 1906 Games. The competition rules were exhausting for the athletes as the bar was incremented by one centimetre each time and all athletes had to attempt each height. This caused the event to be postponed when darkness fell and competition resumed the following morning. Irishman Con Leahy won the event for Great Britain with a mark of 1.775 m. Lajos Gönczy of Hungary, a 1900 high jump medallist, returned to the Olympic podium with 1.75 m for second. American Bert Kerrigan, who also competed in the pole vault and standing long jump, took third place alongside Themistoklis Diakidis of Greece. [9]
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1906 Athens | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The standing high jump variant was also contested at the Intercalated Games. Ray Ewry, who entered as the undefeated Olympic champion in the event, won a further gold medal with his mark of 1.56 m (5 ft 1+1⁄4 in). Second place was a tie between Martin Sheridan, Léon Dupont and Lawson Robertson, whose joint marks of 1.40 m (4 ft 7 in) was some way behind the winner. [10]
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1906 Athens | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
In addition to the main 1900 Olympic men's high jump, a handicap competition was held four days later. All of the podium finishers in the event had failed to medal in the main Olympic final. Tore Blom was first with 2.05 m (35 cm handicap), Gyula Strausz placed second in 2.00 m (also 35 cm), while third place went to Waldemar Steffen with 1.95 m (30 cm handicap). [11] [12]
Two professionals-only contests were held in 1900. Mike Sweeney of the United States won with 1.80 m (the second best of the festival after Irv Baxter Olympic record in the amateur event). Another American, Otto Bruno Schoenfeld, was second in 1.75 m, while Noël Douet of France was third in 1.55 m. A handicap professional contest was also held but the results have not been located. [11] [13]
The handicap event returned at the 1904 Summer Olympics and the three Olympic finalists who failed to win medals comprised the top three. Ervin Barker won with 1.88 m off a 4.5 inch handicap, Lajos Gönczy was runner-up with a mark of 1.80 m with a three-inch handicap, and Emil Freymark took third, recording 1.80 m with a five-inch handicap. [11]
These events are no longer considered part of the official Olympic history of the high jump or the athletics programme in general. Consequently, medals from these competitions have not been assigned to nations on the all-time medal tables. [11]
Raymond Clarence Ewry was an American track and field athlete who won eight gold medals at the Olympic Games and two gold medals at the Intercalated Games. This puts him among the most successful Olympians of all time.
The men's high jump competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens was held at the Olympic Stadium on 20–22 August. Thirty-eight athletes from 27 nations competed. The event was won by Stefan Holm of Sweden, the nation's first victory in the men's high jump and first medal in the event since Patrik Sjöberg won three in a row from 1984 to 1992. Matt Hemingway took silver, returning the United States to the podium after a one-Games absence. Jaroslav Bába's bronze was the first medal in the event for the Czech Republic.
The standing high jump is an athletics event that was featured in the Olympics from 1900 to 1912. It is performed in the same way as high jump, with the difference being that the athlete has no run-up and must stand still and jump with both feet together.
The men's standing long jump was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 16, 1900. Four athletes from two nations competed in the standing long jump. The event was won by Ray Ewry of the United States, with his teammate Irving Baxter the runner-up; the two dominated all three of the standing jumps in 1900, finishing first and second in each. Ewry would take gold medals in all eight standing jump events from 1900 to 1908. The bronze medal was won by Émile Torchebœuf of France.
The men's standing long jump was one of six jumping events on the athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on Monday, July 20, 1908. Twenty-five long jumpers from eleven nations competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes. The event was won by Ray Ewry of the United States, his third consecutive victory in the event. Ewry won all eight standing jump events from 1900 to 1908 as well as both events at the 1906 Intercalated Games. Konstantinos Tsiklitiras of Greece took silver. American Martin Sheridan earned bronze.
Lajos Gönczy was a Hungarian high jumper. He participated in Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens and won two medals.
The men's standing long jump was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth and final appearance of the event. The competition was held on Monday, July 8, 1912. Nineteen long jumpers from eight nations competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes. Ray Ewry, who was the three-time defending champion in the event, did not compete in 1912. The silver medalist from 1908, Konstantinos Tsiklitiras, won the event. Platt Adams, the sixth-place finisher four years earlier, took second. Benjamin Adams finished third. Each of the three standing long jump medalists also medaled in the standing high jump, though in a different order.
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The long jump at the Summer Olympics is grouped among the four track and field jumping events held at the multi-sport event. The men's long jump has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first Summer Olympics in 1896. The women's long jump was introduced over fifty years later in 1948 and was the second Olympic jumping event for women after the high jump, which was added in 1928.
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