World Championships: Women's high jump
The 1983 final in Helsinki was a good contest between 1972 Olympic champion and world record-holder Ulrike Meyfarth and Tamara Bykova.
The Soviet Bykova held the advantage up to 1.97m but failed initially at 1.99m, which the German achieved first time. Bykova cleared 2.01m first time as Meyfarth failed. Meyfarth then tried a world record 2.03m with her two remaining jumps but failed – as did Bykova with her three attempts.
Bykova was in even better form in Rome in 1987. She had a perfect record all the way up to 2.04m. Stefka Kostadinova was also perfect up to 2.02m, so this was the first time two jumpers had cleared that height. The Bulgarian also jumped 2.04m at the final attempt.
The bar moved up to 2.06m, which Kostadinova cleared at the second attempt to ensure the gold. She wasn’t done, though, as she then jumped a world record of 2.09m – a mark that still stands today as the all-time No.1 jump. In some ways it was unfortunate timing, though, as it was being overshadowed by Ben Johnson’s 9.83 just 10 minutes earlier.
The Bulgarian returned in Tokyo in 1991 but could do no better than sixth with 1.93m. The clear winner was German Heike Henkel, who was the only jumper to go over two metres, and she had a perfect reading up to 2.05m before failing at 2.07m.
The standard in Stuttgart in 1993 was much lower. Kostadinova couldn’t make the final and, though, Henkel did, she didn’t start. Ioamnet Quintero was the only jumper who could clear 1.99m.
Kostadinova had a baby in January 1995, so it wasn’t thought she would be a factor later in the year in Gothenburg and she almost didn’t compete. She recorded a season’s best of 1.95m in qualifying and then improved in the final to 1.96m and 1.99m first time to go into the lead. She then achieved 2.01m to sew up her second gold.
In a poorer-quality final in Athens in 1999 the surprise winner was Norway’s Hanne Haugland, who had been ninth and sixth on her previous two attempts and she was the only one to jump higher than 1.96m. Ukrainian Inga Babakova was second and in Seville in 1999 she made a first-time clearance at 1.99m to win on countback from Russians Yelena Yelesina and Svetlana Lapina. The big favourite had been 2.04m jumper Hestrie Cloete, but she failed to make the final.
The South African fared better in Edmonton in 2001 when she had a clear record up to 1.97m. Both she and defending champion Babakova cleared 2.00m second time, but Cloete won gold because of her earlier first-time clearances.
Cloete was far more dominant in Paris in 2003 and won gold with a first-timer at 2.02m. She underlined her dominance with further jumps of 2.04m and then an African and Commonwealth record 2.06m.
The favourite for Helsinki was Paris bronze medallist Kajsa Bergqvist who took an early advantage as the only one to clear 1.96m first time. She retained the lead over 1.98m and 2.00m and wrapped up the title with 2.02m.
In Osaka in 2007, a record 16 jumpers achieved 1.94m in qualifying and an all-time best five cleared 2.00m in the final. Blanka Vlasic, who had a previous best of seventh in 2003, took the lead with a first-time jump at 2.03m and was the only one to go over 2.05m.
The silver medal was shared at 2.03m by Italian Antonietta Di Martino who, at 1.69m tall, set a record differential of 34cm, and Olympic winner Anna Chicherova.
Vlasic retained her title in Berlin in 2009, going over 2.04m. She had three failed attempts at a world record 2.10m, but shortly after the championships went second all-time with a 2.08m. Chicherova won another silver, while Ariane Friedrich, who had cleared 2.06m earlier in Berlin, had to settle for a 2.02m in third after having a very narrow failure at 2.06m, which would have won gold.
In Daegu in 2011, Chicherova was in good form returning after childbirth with 2.07m. She won her first world gold in Korea on countback with a perfect record up to 2.03m, from Vlasic, who only achieved it with her second jump. Di Martino took bronze.
Chicherova achieved her sixth successive top-six place and fourth medal in a row in Moscow in 2013 when taking a share of the bronze medal with Spain’s Ruth Beitia. Winner Svetlana Shkolina had been sixth and fourth in the previous two championships.
She survived an early failure at 1.93m, which put her down in eighth, and only went into the lead with a 2.03m first-time jump. American Brigetta Barrett took the silver with 2.00m.
For the sixth championships in a row no British athlete was selected. In fact, no Britons have ever made the final and 1.89m has been the highest mark achieved in the qualifying round.
Year | Winner | Height | GB position and mark
1983 Tamara Bykova (URS) 2.01m NQ Gill Evans 1.84m
1987 Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) 2.09m No competitor
1991 Heike Henkel (GER) 2.05m NQ Debbi Marti 1.86m
1993 Ioamnet Quintero (CUB) 1.99m NQ Jo Jennings 1.80m
1995 Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) 2.01m NQ Lea Haggett 1.75m
1997 Hanne Haugland (NOR) 1.99m NQ Debbi Marti 1.89m
1999 Inga Babakova (UKR) 1.99m No competitor
2001 Hestrie Cloete (RSA) 2.00m NQ Susan Jones 1.88m
2003 Hestrie Cloete (RSA) 2.06m No competitor
2005 Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE) 2.02m No competitor
2007 Blanka Vlasic (CRO) 2.05m No competitor
2009 Blanka Vlasic (CRO) 2.04m No competitor
2011 Anna Chicherova (RUS) 2.03m No competitor
2013 Svetlana Shkolina (RUS) 2.03m No competitor
Points table (8 for 1st etc)
1. RUS 108.5
2. GER 48
3. UKR 44.1
4. SWE 40.2
5= URS 34.5
5= USA 34.5
7. BUL 33
8. CRO 28
9. ITA 23
10. CUB 20
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