Discipline: High Jump

About

• Both men and women compete in the high jump events.

• The high jump was included in the 1896 Olympic Games for men and has been a part of the Summer Olympics ever since.

• It was introduced for women in the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games.

• A jumper will take a running start and approach the bar from any angle to jump over a horizontal bar supported by two posts and land in a pit of foam rubber, or an air-inflated pad.

• The Fosbury flop is a type of jump where the athlete takes off on their outside foot, which is the foot further from the bar.

• An athlete will either straddle the bar or use the Fosbury flop.

Salto em Altura
IAAF
Credit: Hasse Stogren


Rules

• An athlete will be disqualified if they miss all three attempts to clear the height of the jump.

• The height of the bar is predetermined by the organizing committee, who is authorized by the IAAF.

• For each new jump the horizontal bar must be raised at least 2 centimeters.

• The jumps are measured perpendicularly from the ground.

• If the bar is displaced after an athlete jumps they could be disqualified.

• The length of the runway has to be 15 meters long and can be 20 to 25 meters long.

Scoring

• Judges score on overall height, take-off height, flight height, reach height and loss height.

• The athlete is scored based upon a one-legged jump or a two-legged jump.

Salto em altura
Photo Courtesy of Confederação Brasileira de Atletismo

List of Olympic Events

• High jump men
• High jump women

Medals for 2004 Summer Olympics

Event Gold Silver Bronze
High jump men Stefan Holm
(SWE) 2,36 m 		Matt Hemingway
(USA) 2,34 m		 Jaroslav Bába
(CZE)
2,34 m
High jump women Yelena Slesarenko
(RUS) 2,06 m		 Hestrie Cloete
(RSA)
2,02 m 		Viktoriya Styopina
(UKR)
2.02 m


World Record Holder

• Javier Sotomayor of Cuba currently holds the world record in this event with jumps of 2.43 m (8 feet) and 2.45 m (8 feet ½ inch).

Olympic Record Holder

• Charles Austin of the USA holds the Olympic record for men with 2.39m at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA.

• Yelena Slesarenko of Russia holds the Olympic record with 2.06m at the 2004 Olympic Games Athens in Athens.

To read this page in portuguese, click here.

Sources:

  • http://www.hickoksports.com
  • http://www.mapsofworld.com
  • hhttp://www.wikipedia.org
  • http://www.olympic.org