Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump

The men's high jump was one of four men's jumping events on the Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics program in Mexico City. Thirty-nine athletes from 25 nations competed.[1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. Dick Fosbury won by using a backward jumping style that was called the Fosbury Flop.[2] This was the unveiling of the new style on the world stage. The style completely revolutionized the sport. By the mid 1970s and ever since, virtually all of the top competitors were using the new style.

Men's high jump
at the Games of the XIX Olympiad
Dick Fosbury
VenueEstadio Olímpico Universitario
DatesOctober 19–20
Competitors39 from 25 nations
Winning height2.24 OR
Medalists
Dick Fosbury
 United States
Ed Caruthers
 United States
Valentin Gavrilov
 Soviet Union

For the third straight Games, the podium in the men's high jump was monopolized by Americans and Soviets. Fosbury's gold was the United States' 12th victory in the event. His teammate Ed Caruthers took silver. Valentin Gavrilov's bronze put the Soviet Union on the podium for the fourth straight Games, second only to the United States with 16 consecutive podium appearances.

Summary

At 2.18 metres, high school 'phenomena', Reynaldo Brown and Valery Skvortsov topped out leaving the three medalists Valentin Gavrilov, Ed Caruthers and Richard Fosbury. The medalists were all clean at 2.20 metres. Fosbury took the lead by remaining clean at 2.22 metres, Caruthers needing a second attempt. Garilov couldn't make it. Richard Fosbury established his win by jumping over 2.24 metres on his last attempt, while Caruthers brushed his last attempt off.

Background

This was the 16th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The returning finalists from the 1964 Games were eighth-place finisher Ed Caruthers of the United States, ninth-place finisher Mahamat Idriss of Chad (also a finalist in 1960), tenth-place finisher Lawrie Peckham and thirteenth-place finisher Anthony Sneazwell of Australia, and fourteenth-place finisher Valeriy Skvortsov of the Soviet Union. Viktor Bolshov, who had placed fourth in 1960, also returned.[1]

The Bahamas, Guatemala, Madagascar, and Sierra Leone each made their debut in the event; West Germany competed separately for the first time. The United States appeared for the 16th time, having competed at each edition of the Olympic men's high jump to that point.

Competition format

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1912. There were two distinct rounds of jumping with results cleared between rounds. The qualifying round had the bar set at 1.80 metres, 1.85 metres, 1.90 metres, 1.95 metres, 2.00 metres, 2.03 metres, 2.06 metres, 2.09 metres, 2.12 metres, and 2.14 metres. All jumpers clearing 2.14 metres in the qualifying round advanced to the final. For the first time, the qualifying mark was set high enough that fewer than 12 jumpers could achieve it; the top 12 (including ties) therefore advanced to the final.

The final had jumps at 2.00 metres, 2.03 metres, 2.06 metres, 2.09 metres, 2.12 metres, and then increased by 0.02 metres until a winner was found. Each athlete had three attempts at each height.[1][3]

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

World record Valeriy Brumel (URS)2.28Moscow, Soviet Union21 July 1963
Olympic record Valeriy Brumel (URS)
 John Thomas (USA)
2.18Tokyo, Japan21 October 1964

Dick Fosbury and Ed Caruthers matched the Olympic record at 2.18 metres; Valentin Gavrilov skipped that height. The three men all successfully jumped 2.20 metres, breaking the old record. Fosbury and Caruthers also succeeded at 2.20 metres. Only Fosbury made it over 2.24 metres, setting the new record. He took three attempts at 2.29 metres in an attempt to break the world record, but did not prevail.

Schedule

All times are Central Standard Time (UTC-6)

Date Time Round
Saturday, 19 October 196810:00Qualifying
Sunday, 20 October 196814:30Final

Results

Key

  • o = Height cleared
  • x = Height failed
  • = Height passed
  • r  = Retired
  • SB = Season's best
  • PB = Personal best
  • NR = National record
  • AR = Area record
  • OR = Olympic record
  • WR = World record
  • WL = World lead
  • NM = No mark
  • DNS = Did not start
  • DQ = Disqualified

Qualifying

RankAthleteNation1.801.851.901.952.002.032.062.092.122.14HeightNotes
1Dick Fosbury United Statesooo2.14Q
2Ed Caruthers United Statesoooo2.14Q
3Valeriy Skvortsov Soviet Unionoooxoo2.14Q
4Ahmed Senoussi Chadoooxo2.14Q
5Giacomo Crosa Italyooooxo2.14Q
6Lawrie Peckham Australiaoooooxo2.14Q
7Miodrag Todosijević Yugoslaviaooooxxx2.12q
8Ingomar Sieghart West Germanyoooooxxx2.12q
9Reynaldo Brown United Statesxooxxx2.12q
10Valentin Gavrilov Soviet Unionoxooooxxx2.12q
11Luis María Garriga Spainxooxoooxxx2.12q
12Robert Sainte-Rose Franceoooxoxxx2.12q
13Gunther Spielvogel West Germanyooooxoxxx2.12q
14Thomas Zacharias West GermanyooxxxN/A2.09
15Kuniyoshi Sugioka JapanooooxxxN/A2.09
16Viktor Bolshov Soviet UnionoxoxoxxxN/A2.09
17Bhim Singh IndiaooxooxoxxxN/A2.09
18Henry Elliott FranceooxxoxxxN/A2.09
Jaroslav Alexa CzechoslovakiaooxxoxxxN/A2.09
20Ioannis Kousoulas GreeceoxooxxoxxxN/A2.09
21Mahamat Idriss ChadoxxxN/A2.06
22Tony Sneazwell AustraliaoooxxxN/A2.06
Teodoro Palacios GuatemalaoooxxxN/A2.06
Kenneth Lundmark SwedenoooxxxN/A2.06
Rudolf Hübner CzechoslovakiaoooxxxN/A2.06
26Peter Boyce AustraliaoxoxoxxxN/A2.06
27Jón Ólafsson IcelandoxoxxoxoxxxN/A2.06
28Michel Portmann SwitzerlandoxxoxxxN/A2.06
29Fernando Abugattas PeruxoxxxN/A2.03
30Fernand Tovondray MadagascaroxxooxxxN/A2.03
31Thomas Wieser SwitzerlandooxoxxxN/A2.03
32Csaba Dosa RomaniaoooxxoxxoxxxN/A2.03
33Wilf Wedmann CanadaoxxxN/A2.00
Polde Milek YugoslaviaoxxxN/A2.00
35Roberto Abugattas PeruxoxxxN/A2.00
36Anthony Balfour BahamasoooxxxN/A1.95
37Hong Son-long Republic of ChinaooxxooxxxN/A1.95
38Nurullah Candan TurkeyxxooxxooxxxN/A1.95
39Marconi Turay Sierra LeoneooxxoxxxN/A1.90
Bo-Sven Jonsson SwedenDNS
Jan-Erik Dahlgren SwedenDNS
Ababacar Ly SenegalDNS
Freddy Herbrandt BelgiumDNS
Samuel Igun NigeriaDNS

Final

The final was held on October 20, 1968. Each jumper again had three attempts at each height, with the bar starting at 2.00 metres. Three jumpers were unable to perform as well as they had in the qualification.

RankAthleteNation 2.002.032.062.092.122.142.162.182.202.222.242.29HeightNotes
1Dick Fosbury United Statesooooooxxoxxx2.24OR
2Ed Caruthers United StatesoxxoxxooxoxxxN/A2.22
3Valentin Gavrilov Soviet UnionooooooooxxxN/A2.20
4Valery Skvortsov Soviet UnionoxooxxooxxoxxxN/A2.16
5Reynaldo Brown United StatesoooxxxN/A2.14
6Giacomo Crosa ItalyoxooooxxxN/A2.14
7Gunther Spielvogel West GermanyooxxoxoxxxN/A2.14
8Lawrie Peckham AustraliaoooxoxxxN/A2.12
9Robert Sainte-Rose FranceoooxxxN/A2.09
Ingomar Sieghart West GermanyoooxxxN/A2.09
11Luis María Garriga SpainoooxxoxxxN/A2.09
12Ahmed Senoussi ChadxoxxoxxxN/A2.09
13Miodrag Todosijević YugoslaviaooxxxN/A2.06

References

  1. "High Jump, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  2. "Athletics at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games: Men's High Jump". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  3. Official Report, vol. 3, p. 526.
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