The world record in high jump: the way to the top

High jump - a wonderful sport. It is also called the pearl of the queen of sports - athletics. It jumps answer the call of the founder of the Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin: "Faster, higher, stronger."

High jump bribe the spectacular ease and direct the execution of the jump. In the eyes of the audience comes the miracle of transferring the body of the athlete to the maximum height, the path to which is through a fixed horizontal bar.

How it all began

Interesting history of origin hopping sports, and especially the history of the world records in the high jump. Outset that inexplicably jumps were not included in the program of the Olympic Games of ancient Greece. They were taken into account only the length of the jumps and, characteristically, in the hands while holding dumbbells. It turned out something like a triple jump and dumbbell flies away from the jumper in the third step, as the stage of the rocket. Somehow, everyone thought that it will add a range of jumps.

The appearance of the first style of jumping

Since the beginning of the modern Olympic movement jumps firmly taken its place in it. Already at the first Olympic Games in 1896 played a medal in the high jump with a running start and a place. only men participated. Bracket overcame famous folk method pereshagivaniya or scissors. Great American Olympian Ray Urey jumped up and subdued height 165 cm.

High jump with a running start in men

Over time, a jump from a place excluded from the competition, leaving only tall. So, at the beginning of the XX century in the height of a running man jump no higher than 197 cm. And in the same way pereshagivaniya. One American George Horine occurred to fly over the bar, while her side with pursed jogging leg. This jump was named after the author - Horine (a roll). With this style of performance designated record high at around 2, 09 m in 1937.

The revolution in the world hopping

As time went on, and on some of the competition some oddball decided during a jump shallows imitate cowboy, jump on a horse. This method is called immediately cowboy or changeover. This was a major step forward. Jumping manner jumper approaching body's center of gravity as close to the strip, which afforded to 15 cm advantages. The next world record for the high jump men established before World War II, namely Lester Steers from the US has raised the bar to 2, 11 m.

In the post-war period is still first place in the high jump men held American jumpers. Only in 1957 they were joined by Soviet jumper Yuri Stepanov, setting a record height of 2, 16 m. But then the great American athlete John Thomas, jumping in the same way, has brought the world record to a phenomenal level of 2, 22 m.

record holder Valery Brumel

Changeover by Valeriy Brumel, an outstanding Soviet athlete was brought to perfection. 6 times Brumel beat the world record for the high jump. July 21, 1963, he jumped, as it seemed then, to an unattainable height 2, 28 m. It is a pity that the fracture shaking leg in a car accident not allowed space jumper Valery Brumel reach even greater heights. His last record lasted very long. Only in 1971, Pat Metsdorf - jumper-comet as it is called - is not clear and incredible cowboy jumped 2, 29 m and broke the record of Valery Brumel.

Fosbury Style

Pat Metsdorf as suddenly appeared and disappeared from the world-hopping sector, but his countryman, American Dwight Stones, opened a new era in the high jump, jump already in a new way - Fosbury. Soon this style have adopted all the athletes of the world. And then Dwight did the unthinkable: he first conquered the height of 2 m 30 and brought the world record to 2, 32 m.

resist process for Fosbury tried Ukrainian jumper from Zaporozhye Vladimir Yaschenko. He suddenly took a jump savage way rocker, which used Metsdorf, and adding each time centimeter 2 set a record in 1978, 34 m in the open, and 2, 35 m indoors. Sports World was delighted with this result.

It became clear that the way Fosbury lets fly over the bar so rounding it that the body of the athlete's center of gravity is located beneath it, and this is something that sought to everyone who jumped in height. By optimizing takeoff technique and improving the quality of the place of landing, athletes began to show unprecedented results. In 1984, the Chinese athlete Zhu Jianhua sets record 2, 39 m.

A new page World Records

August 11, 1985 Soviet jumper Rudolf Povarnitsyn opens a new page of world records. He was the first in the world overcome the bar at a height of 2 to 40 m. Immediately behind him, a month later, Igor Paklin takes a height of 2, 41 meters. After 2 years of flying Viking Patrick Sheber overcomes a height of 2 to 42 m. It is still the European record high jump men. And then came the great Cuban Javier Sotomayor. From 1988 to 1993, he managed to raise the bar for the world record to an unprecedented level 2, 45 m.

Fantastic jumping this humble Cuban will long haunt the memory of grateful fans of athletics.

High jump among women

History of world records in the high jump women are created very differently. Let's start with the fact that the weaker sex much later men were allowed to compete. Only in 1922, the IAAF has recorded the first world record in the high jump American Nancy Voris, and he was quite modest, only 146 cm. Then off we go. Before the Second World War, women have brought the world record to 171 cm. It was only in 1951 Englishwoman Shirley Lervil improved the world record to 1 cm.

In 1956, burst onto the world stage Romanian high jumper Iolanda Balas. Up until 1961 it was not equal in the sector in the high jump. It has established 14 records and became a two-time Olympic champion. During her career she has improved the rate of 16 cm, while the next half a century to achieve improved by only 18 cm.

In 1961, the Romanian won a height of 1, 91 m. When it comes inimitable Rosemary Ackerman, who managed 7 times beat his world record. Modest girl from the former GDR in 1977 defeated the first two-meter barrier. Then, no less talented female athletes - Sara Simeoni, Ulrika Meyford Tamara Bykov and Lyudmila Andonova - driven record levels to the level of 2, 07 m.

These glorious jumper handed over the baton of the great Bulgarian athlete Stefka Kostadinova. It is July 30, 1987 at the world championships in Rome has jumped to unprecedented heights in women 2, 09 m. This record is kept to this day. Over the past 30 years, only the Croatian Blanka Vlasic attempted to break the record, but he resisted, and who can do it is not yet known.

Pole vault

No less attractive and dynamic look the pole vault. After all, here you need to move the jumper over his body horizontal bar with six for athletics.

This kind of jumps among men was included in the Olympics program in the distant 1896. But women have been admitted to this kind of competition at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 alone.

What are the poles

The key by which to make jumps in the sport - athletics pole. Use it as a projectile in the sport began only in the XIX century, and initially it was made of hard wood, mainly from the ash. At the beginning of the XX century they were replaced by bamboo shells, light and elastic. They have dominated the sport for 20 years. With this sixth American Cornelius Uormerdem jumped to record height of 4 and 77 m. 1936 is special in that it will allow to make the poles of any material. After the war, from Sweden for the first time applied the poles of metal. It has brought positive results. Already in 1957, Robert Gutowski added 1 cm to the record of Cornelius, and in 1960 with a score of 4, 8 m Donald Bregt showed possible at that time maximum.

The era of poles made of plastic makes the revolution

It was the era of plastic poles, which staged a coup in the sport. With the birth of a fiberglass pole, and improvement of the repulsive space and landing in the jump pit, men's records in pole vault poured as from a cornucopia. Just think, from 1960 to 1994 with a record 4, 8 m increased to 6, 14 m.

In 1963, the American Brian Sternberg first overcame the 5-meter barrier. Ironically, it was this year, I was born the next record-holder Sergei Bubka shestovikov. He burst into the world of 1984 sports year and immediately broke the record for Thierry Vigneron, jumping to a height of 5 to 85 m. After 10 years of Ukrainian sportsman lifted a world record in the pole vault to the level of 6, 14 m, and in enclosed spaces 6, 15 m . In total for career Bubka broke 35 world records. Only 21 years later in 2014 the Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie took the bar at 6, 16 meters and broke the record Bubka indoors.

Women's pole vault

In women, the world record in the high jump with a pole steel recorded only since 1992. 4 height, 05 m subdued Chinese Soong Chayun. Rich in records for women appeared in 1995, when the Czech jumper Daniela Bartov has established a dozen world records and stood at around 4, 22 m. The winning relay Bartov caught athlete from distant Australia Emma George. 11 times breaking the world record, she was able to gain a foothold at the height of 4 to 6 m. Further rekordsmenok story became an American Stacy drag. It set a record 4, 81 m, thus becoming the Olympic champion in Sydney and two-time world champion.

As time went on, and gained popularity this sport as the high jump with a pole. World record should be set Russian Elena Isinbayeva July 13, 2003. She jumped to a height of 4 to 82 m. It is also called Bubka in a skirt. Beautiful and charming athlete has quickly won the hearts of fans of athletics. The results are phenomenal. She was the first in the world in 2005 at the London arena overcame a height of 5, 0 m, and in 2009 in Zurich, 5, 06 m. To beat her record could not be anyone of the women on this day.