World Championships: Men's high jump
The first world champion, in Helsinki in 1983, was a huge surprise. Teenager and former triple jumper Gennadiy Avdyeyenko had been a shock Soviet selection but a first-time clearance at 2.32m gave him gold. American Tyke Peacock cleared the same height third time for silver, while world record-holder Zhu Jianhua took bronze as he had a clear record through 2.29m.
Rome in 1987 was a higher standard. Indeed, it saw the best-quality high jump in history – with Zan Zvara clearing 2.32m but ending up just seventh. Four athletes cleared 2.35m, but world record-holder Patrik Sjoberg was the only one over 2.38m first time to give Sweden the gold. Igor Paklin and Avdyeyenko went over 2.38m at the last attempt to deny Olympic champion Dietmar Mogenburg a medal.
Javier Sotomayor finished ninth but two years later became the first athlete to clear 8 feet (2.43m). But after clearing 2.36m first time, the Cuban passed 2.38m, which Charles Austin cleared. He then failed first time at 2.40m and decided his ankle injury was too bad to carry on and retired with silver behind the American.
Dalton Grant made history of his own, entering the competition at 2.31m. His eccentricities continued when he passed 2.34m and, although he cleared a British record 2.37m at his third attempt, it meant he could only finish fourth.
In Stuttgart in 1993, Sotomayor finally won gold as he cleared a championship best 2.40m. He was pushed all the way, though, as Artur Partyka and Steve Smith both had first-time clearances at 2.37m but went out at 2.40m. Smith, however, equalled his British record.
The Cuban had a foot injury in Gothenburg in 1995 and, although he cleared 2.37m, it only gave him the silver medal. Gold went to Troy Kemp of the Bahamas, who had been fifth at the previous two championships, and his first-time clearance at 2.37m proved enough. Partyka took bronze clearing 2.35m as Smith finished fourth on the same height.
Sotomayor was healthy again in Athens in 1997 and was the only jumper over 2.37m. Grant again caused a surprise. With a season’s best of 2.28m, he entered at a record opening height of 2.32m and cleared it first time to go into the lead but couldn’t go higher and ended up equal fourth.
Sotomayor was suspended for Seville in 1999 where gold went to world indoor silver medallist Vyacheslav Voronin, who had a perfect record up to 2.37m and was the only athlete over that height. An injured Smith made the final but no-heighted, while Germany’s Martin Buss took bronze.
In the next two years Buss didn’t better 2.30m outdoors, but a final clearance at 2.36m in Edmonton gave him a shock gold medal as Russians Yaroslav Rybakov and Voronin shared silver. Sotomayor was initially fourth but it was later discovered he had failed a drugs test and he had his result annulled.
In Paris in 2003, there was another surprise. Jacques Freitag, who couldn’t jump higher than 2.15m in Edmonton, was the only jumper over 2.35m. The South African failed to make the final in Helsinki in 2005 and there was another shock result when Ukraine’s second best jumper, Yuriy Krimarenko, was the only one of eight athletes attempting to get over 2.32m, which he did with his last attempt despite hitting the bar. Olympic champion Stefan Holm and former champion Voronin were among those over 2.29m but ended up seventh and eighth.
In qualifying in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, a record 15 cleared 2.29m and in a hard-fought final Bahamas’ Donald Thomas won on countback with a 2.35m leap.
Thomas had been a basketball player 19 months before the event and, although he took three attempts at 2.33m, a first-time clearance at the higher height saw him win gold. Yaroslav Rybakov won his third successive medal and Cypriot Kyriakos Ioannou both won bronze with 2.35m.
Rybakov and Ioannou moved up a place in Berlin in 2009, although the wet conditions meant 2.32m proved sufficient as both made it first time, though the Russian achieved 2.28m on his second jump to the Cypriot’s third.
In Daegu in 2011, gold went to Jesse Williams, who hadn’t made the final in the past two championships, but a perfect record up to 2.35m gave him the title. Aleksey Dmitrik also cleared that height to finish second.
The 2013 final in Moscow was the best yet – with seven men over 2.32m and three athletes attempting 2.41m. Bohdan Bondarenko had first-time clearances at 2.29m and 2.35m but the Ukrainian lost the lead when Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim sailed over 2.38m and he strangely passed.
Derek Drouin also cleared a Canadian record 2.38m and, with Ivan Ukhov also perfect up to 2.35m, Bondarenko needed to jump the equal third best height ever just to ensure he did better than a share of bronze. However, clearly confident and in great form, a second-time clearance at a championship-best 2.41m put him ahead.
It didn’t initially ensure gold as, after a 2.41m failure, Barshim moved up to 2.44m and went close but Bondarenko passed that height and then attempted a world record 2.46m after Barshim had failed and they were solid attempts.
Robbie Grabarz cleared 2.29m, the same height that gained him an Olympic medal at London in 2012, but the higher quality here gave him just eighth place.
Year | Winner | Jump | GB position and mark
1983 Gennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS) 2.32 No competitor
1987 Patrik Sjoberg (SWE) 2.38 eq 10 Geoff Parsons 2.25 (2.27q)
1991 Charles Austin (USA) 2.38 4th Dalton Grant 2.36
1993 Javier Sotomayor (CUB) 2.40 3rd Steve Smith 2.37
1995 Troy Kemp (BAH) 2.37 eq 4 Steve Smith 2.35
1997 Javier Sotomayor (CUB) 2.37 eq 4 Dalton Grant 2.32
1999 Vyacheslav Voronin (RUS) 2.37 Steve Smith NH (2.26q)
2001 Martin Buss (GER) 2.36 NQ Ben Challenger 2.25
2003 Jacques Freitag (RSA) 2.35 No competitor
2005 Yuriy Krimarenko (UKR) 2.32 NQ Ben Challenger 2.24
2007 Donald Thomas (BAH) 2.35 10 Tom Parsons 2.26 (2.29q)
2009 Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS) 2.32 No competitor
2011 Jesse Williams (USA) 2.35 NQ Tom Parsons 2.25
2013 Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR) 2.41 8 Robbie Grabarz 2.29
Points table (8 for 1st etc)
1. RUS 71.5
2. CUB 43.5
3. USA 45.5
4. SWE 40.5
5. GER 39
6. BAH 32.5
7. POL 28.8
8. URS 26.5
9. CAN 30
10. GBR 21
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