High Jump World Records
How high can someone jump? This really depends on the technique used. In track and field, there is just the high jump event, though in the past there was also a standing high jump at the Olympics. There are also records for the vertical jump, running vertical jump and the platform jump.
a high jumper clears the bar using the 'Fosbury Flop'Standing High Jump
The standing high jump was an Olympic Track and Field event held between 1900 and 1912. Unlike the conventional high jump event which is part of the current track and field program, the standing version does not allow any run up. The technique is performed from a position with both feet together.
A champion in this discipline, Ray Ewry won the standing high jump (and also the standing long jump) in 1900, 1904, 1906, and 1908. He set the world record for the standing high jump of 1.65 m on July 16, 1900.
Running High Jump
The high jump event in track and field athletics has evolved as the technique and equipment have improved over the years. Significant changes occurred when the landing pit of sand or sawdust was replaced with foam mats, and the 'Fosbury Flop' back over technique was able to be utilized. Here are the progressions for the men's high jump world record.
The high jump world record is 2.45 meters (8 ft 0.46 in), by Javier Sotomayor of Cuba, who achieved this height on the 27th of July 1993 in Salamanca (see High Jump Record videos). Sotomayor also holds the indoor world record of 2.43 meters (7 ft 11.67 in). His outdoor world record set in 1993 is the longest standing in the history of the men's high jump.
Men's High Jump World Record Progression
| Height | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2.45 m (8 ft 1/2 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | 27-Jul-93 |
| 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | 29-Jul-89 |
| 2.43 m (7 ft 11 3/4 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | 8-Sep-88 |
| 2.42 m (7 ft 11 1/4 in) | Patrik Sjöberg (SWE) | 30-Jun-87 |
| 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in) | Igor Paklin (URS) | 4-Sep-85 |
| 2.40 m (7 ft 10 1/2 in) | Rudolf Povarnitsyn (URS) | 11-Aug-85 |
| 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) | 10-Jun-84 |
| 2.38 m (7 ft 9 3/4 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) | 22-Sep-83 |
| 2.37 m (7 ft 9 1/4 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) | 11-Jun-83 |
| 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in) | Gerd Wessig (GDR) | 1-Aug-80 |
| 2.35 m (7 ft 8 1/2 in) | Dietmar Mögenburg (FRG) | 26-May-80 |
| 2.35 m (7 ft 8 1/2 in) | Jacek Wszoła (POL) | 25-May-80 |
| 2.34 m (7 ft 8 1/4 in) | Vladimir Yashchenko (URS) | 16-Jun-78 |
| 2.33 m (7 ft 7 3/4 in) | Vladimir Yashchenko (URS) | 2-Jun-77 |
| 2.32 m (7 ft 7 1/4 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) | 4-Aug-76 |
| 2.31 m (7 ft 7 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) | 5-Jun-76 |
| 2.30 m (7 ft 6 1/2 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) | 11-Jul-73 |
| 2.29 m (7 ft 6 1/4 in) | Pat Matzdorf (USA) | 3-Jul-71 |
| 2.28 m (7 ft 5 3/4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | 21-Jul-63 |
| 2.27 m (7 ft 5 1/4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | 29-Sep-62 |
| 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | 22-Jul-62 |
| 2.25 m (7 ft 4 1/2 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | 31-Aug-61 |
| 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | 16-Jul-61 |
| 2.23 m (7 ft 3 3/4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | 18-Jun-61 |
| 2.22 m (7 ft 3 3/8 in) | John Thomas (USA) | 1-Jul-60 |
| 2.18 m (7 ft 1 7/8 in) | John Thomas (USA) | 24-Jun-60 |
| 2.17 m (7 ft 1 3/8 in) | John Thomas (USA) | 21-May-60 |
| 2.17 m (7 ft 1 3/8 in) | John Thomas (USA) | 30-Apr-60 |
| 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) | Yuriy Stepanov (URS) | 13-Jul-57 |
| 2.15 m (7 ft 5/8 in) | Charles Dumas (USA) | 29-Jun-56 |
| 2.12 m (6 ft 11 1/2 in) | Walt Davis (USA) | 27-Jun-53 |
| 2.11 m (6 ft 11 1/8 in) | Lester Steers (USA) | 17-Jun-41 |
| 2.09 m (6 ft 10 1/4 in) | Melvin Walker (USA) | 12-Aug-37 |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9 1/2 in) | Cornelius Johnson (USA) | 12-Jul-36 |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9 1/2 in) | Dave Albritton (USA) | 12-Jul-36 |
| 2.06 m (6 ft 9 1/8 in) | Walter Marty (USA) | 28-Apr-34 |
| 2.04 m (6 ft 8 3/8 in) | Walter Marty (USA) | 13-May-33 |
| 2.03 m (6 ft 7 7/8 in) | Harold Osborn (USA) | 27-May-24 |
| 2.01 m (6 ft 7 1/8 in) | Edward Beeson (USA) | 2-May-14 |
| 2.00 m (6 ft 6 3/4 in) | George Horine (USA) | 18-May-12 |
Women's High Jump World Record Progression
| Height | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2.10 m (6 ft 10 1/2 in) | Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) | 7-Jul-2024 |
| 2.09 m (6 ft 10 1/4 in) | Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) | 30-Aug-87 |
| 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) | Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) | 31-May-86 |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9 1/2 in) | Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) | 25-May-86 |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9 1/2 in) | Lyudmila Andonova (BUL) | 20-Jul-84 |
| 2.05 m (6 ft 8 3/4 in) | Tamara Bykova (URS) | 22-Jun-84 |
| 2.04 m (6 ft 8 1/4 in) | Tamara Bykova (URS) | 25-Aug-83 |
| 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) | Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) | 21-Aug-83 |
| 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) | Tamara Bykova (URS) | 21-Aug-83 |
| 2.02 m (6 ft 7 1/2 in) | Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) | 8-Sep-82 |
| 2.01 m (6 ft 7 1/4 in) | Sara Simeoni (ITA) | 31-Aug-78 |
| 2.01 m (6 ft 7 1/4 in) | Sara Simeoni (ITA) | 4-Aug-78 |
| 1.97 m (6 ft 5 1/2 in) | Rosemarie Ackermann (GDR) | 26-Aug-77 |
| 2.00 m (6 ft 6 3/4 in) | Rosemarie Ackermann (GDR) | 26-Aug-77 |
| 1.97 m (6 ft 5 1/2 in) | Rosemarie Ackermann (GDR) | 14-Aug-77 |
| 1.96 m (6 ft 5 1/4 in) | Rosemarie Ackermann (GDR) | 3-Jul-77 |
| 1.96 m (6 ft 5 1/4 in) | Rosemarie Ackermann (GDR) | 8-May-76 |
| 1.95 m (6 ft 4 3/4 in) | Rosemarie Ackermann (GDR) | 8-Sep-74 |
| 1.94 m (6 ft 4 1/2 in) | Rosemarie Witschas (GDR) | 24-Aug-74 |
| 1.94 m (6 ft 4 1/2 in) | Yordanka Blagoeva (BUL) | 24-Sep-72 |
| 1.92 m (6 ft 3 1/2 in) | Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) | 4-Sep-72 |
| 1.92 m (6 ft 3 1/2 in) | Ilona Gusenbauer (AUT) | 4-Sep-71 |
| 1.91 m (6 ft 3 1/4 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 16-Jul-61 |
| 1.90 m (6 ft 2 3/4 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 8-Jul-61 |
| 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 18-Jun-61 |
| 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1/2 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 15-Apr-61 |
| 1.86 m (6 ft 1 1/4 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 10-Jul-60 |
| 1.85 m (6 ft 3/4 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 6-Jun-60 |
| 1.84 m (6 ft 1/2 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 21-Sep-59 |
| 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 18-Oct-58 |
| 1.82 m (5 ft 11 5/8 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 4-Oct-58 |
| 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1/4 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 31-Jul-58 |
| 1.8 m (5 ft 10 7/8 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 22-Jun-58 |
| 1.78 m (5 ft 10 1/8 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 7-Jun-58 |
| 1.77 m (5 ft 9 5/8 in) | Zheng Fengrong (CHN) | 17-Nov-57 |
| 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1/4 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 13-Oct-57 |
| 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1/4 in) | Mildred McDaniel (USA) | 1-Dec-56 |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8 7/8 in) | Iolanda Balaş (ROM) | 14-Jul-56 |
| 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1/2 in) | Thelma Hopkins (GBR) | 5-May-56 |
| 1.73 m (5 ft 8 1/8 in) | Aleksandra Chudina (URS) | 22-May-54 |
| 1.72 m (5 ft 7 3/4 in) | Sheila Lerwill (GBR) | 7-Jul-51 |
| 1.71 m (5 ft 7 3/8 in) | Fanny Blankers-Koen (NED) | 30-May-43 |
| 1.66 m (5 ft 5 3/8 in) | Ilsebill Pfenning (SUI) | 27-Jul-41 |
| 1.66 m (5 ft 5 3/8 in) | Esther van Heerden (South Africa) | 29-Mar-41 |
| 1.66 m (5 ft 5 3/8 in) | Dorothy Odam (GBR) | 29-May-39 |
| 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | Jean Shiley (USA) | 7-Aug-32 |
| 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | Mildred Didrikson (USA) | 7-Aug-32 |
| 1.62 m (5 ft 3 3/4 in) | Lien Gisolf (NED) | 12-Jun-32 |
| 1.605 m (5 ft 3 1/4 in) | Lien Gisolf (NED) | 18-Aug-29 |
| 1.595 m (5 ft 2 3/4 in) | Ethel Catherwood (CAN) | 5-Aug-28 |
| 1.58 m (5 ft 2 1/4 in) | Lien Gisolf (NED) | 3-Jul-28 |
| 1.58 m (5 ft 2 1/4 in) | Ethel Catherwood (CAN) | 6-Sep-26 |
| 1.552 m (5 ft 1 1/8 in) | Phyllis Green (GBR) | 2-Aug-26 |
| 1.524 m (5 ft 0 in) | Phyllis Green (GBR) | 11-Jul-25 |
| 1.485 m (4 ft 10 1/2 in) | Sophie Eliott-Lynn (GBR) | 6-Aug-23 |
| 1.485 m (4 ft 10 1/2 in) | Elizabeth Stine (USA) | 26-May-23 |
| 1.46 m (4 ft 9 1/2 in) | Nancy Voorhees (USA) | 20-May-22 |
Related Pages
- Pole Vault world records, plus more Athletics Records
- Other sports and fitness records
- About the high jump event
- Biomechanics of the high jump
- Poll: Which world athletics record will be broken next? the Pole Vault or High Jump?
- Profile of Ray Ewry
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events