High jump
The high jump combines strength, agility and grace in one acrobatic movement. It is one of the most fascinating disciplines in athletics, in which the athlete’s body can rotate and take on different shapes in trying to overcome a horizontal pole positioned at a certain height. There is no rule on how to jump, the important thing is to do it by taking only one foot off the ground.
Each athlete can choose at what height to enter the competition. But once a jump is made to that height, no one can enter at a lower measurement. During the competition, the athlete has 60″ time to jump from when he is called; when 2-3 athletes remain he has 90, when one athlete remains he has 3 minutes. After three consecutive failed jumps he is eliminated. The one who jumps the highest wins. If two or more athletes jump the same maximum height, the one who made the fewest mistakes at that measurement wins.
Several high jump techniques have been developed over the years. The so-called “ventral” style was gradually replaced by the “Fosbury Flop” technique, introduced by Dick Fosbury in the 1960s. This revolutionary technique enabled jumpers to surpass incredible heights with a “dorsal” jump, that is, with the back facing the bar.
Today, high jumping has become a highly specialized discipline, with athletes honing their skills through constant practice and technical analysis. Precision in body positioning, use of the arms, and coordination are critical to success in the modern high jump.
The men’s high jump world record is 2.45 meters, set by Javier Sotomayor of Cuba in 1993, while the women’s record is 2.09 meters, set by Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria in 1987 in Rome at the World Championships held at the Olympic Stadium.
In addition to its historical and technical evolution, there are many interesting facts associated with the high jump:
No tiebreaker in Tokyo: In this specialty there is a tiebreaker for victory (in case of the same final measure, the same errors at that measure and the same number of errors in the whole competition), but at the Tokyo Olympics Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim decided to share the gold medal, without a tiebreaker.
Materials: The rod is 4 meters long and must be made of fiberglass, or other suitable material (but not metal), with a circular cross-section, except for the ends.
The high jump combines strength, agility and grace in one acrobatic movement. It is one of the most fascinating disciplines in athletics, in which the athlete’s body can rotate and take on different shapes in trying to overcome a horizontal pole positioned at a certain height. There is no rule on how to jump, the important thing is to do it by taking only one foot off the ground.
Each athlete can choose at what height to enter the competition. But once a jump is made to that height, no one can enter at a lower measurement. During the competition, the athlete has 60″ time to jump from when he is called; when 2-3 athletes remain he has 90, when one athlete remains he has 3 minutes. After three consecutive failed jumps he is eliminated. The one who jumps the highest wins. If two or more athletes jump the same maximum height, the one who made the fewest mistakes at that measure wins.
Several high jump techniques have been developed over the years. The so-called “ventral” style was gradually replaced by the “Fosbury Flop” technique, introduced by Dick Fosbury in the 1960s. This revolutionary technique enabled jumpers to surpass incredible heights with a “dorsal” jump, that is, with the back facing the bar.
Today, high jumping has become a highly specialized discipline, with athletes honing their skills through constant practice and technical analysis. Precision in body positioning, use of the arms, and coordination are critical to success in the modern high jump.
The men’s high jump world record is 2.45 meters, set by Javier Sotomayor of Cuba in 1993, while the women’s record is 2.09 meters, set by Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria in 1987 in Rome at the World Championships held at the Olympic Stadium.
In addition to its historical and technical evolution, there are many interesting facts associated with the high jump:
No tiebreaker in Tokyo: In this specialty there is a tiebreaker for victory (in case of the same final measure, the same errors at that measure and the same number of errors in the whole competition), but at the Tokyo Olympics Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim decided to share the gold medal, without a tiebreaker.
Materials: The rod is 4 meters long and must be made of fiberglass, or other suitable material (but not metal), with a circular cross-section, except for the ends.