A vertical Olympic field event in which athletes leap over a horizontal bar set at increasing heights.
Origin and rules
Competitive high jumping was first recorded in 19th-century Scotland. The Fosbury Flop technique, developed by American Dick Fosbury at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, transformed the event by allowing athletes to clear the bar back-first.
How it plays
The bar is raised progressively. Each athlete has three attempts at each height; three consecutive misses ends the competition. The highest cleared height wins. Ties are broken on count-back of attempts at successful heights.
Competition
The World Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games are the marquee events. The men’s world record of 2.45 metres has stood for Javier Sotomayor of Cuba since 1993. Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi tied for gold at Tokyo 2020.
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High Jump starts with H and ends with P. Browse other sports along the same letter.
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