# High jump at the World Athletics Championships

The high jump at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. The competition format typically has one qualifying round contested by two groups of athletes, with all those clearing the qualifying height or placing in top twelve advancing to the final round.
Russia is the most successful nation in the event, winning 14 medals in total, 4 of them gold. Additionally, they have also won 5 medals as the Authorized Neutral Athletes. Ukraine is the second-most successful nation, winning a total of 12 medals, including 4 golds. Cuba, Germany and Sweden are the only other countries that have won gold in both the men's event and the women's event.
Mutaz Barsham is the most successful athlete in the event, having won a total of 5 medals: 3 gold medals and 2 bronze medals between 2013 and 2023. Russian high jumper Mariya Lasitskene is the most successful female athlete and the other only athlete to win more than 2 gold medals, winning 3 gold medals in a row between 2015 and 2019. Inha Babakova is the only other athlete aside from Barsham that has won more than 4 medals. 4 other athletes have won more than 3 medals: Yaroslav Rybakov and Javier Sotomayor on the men's side, and Blanka Vlašić and Anna Chicherova on the women's side.
The championship records for the event are 2.41 m for men, set by Bohdan Bondarenko in 2013, and 2.09 m for women, set by Stefka Kostadinova in 1987. Additionally, Kostadinova's championship record jump of 2.09 m was also the only time the world record has been broken at the World Athletics Championships.

## Age

* All information from World Athletics.
| Distinction | Male | Male | Male | Female | Female | Female |
| Distinction | Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date |
| Youngest champion | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS) | 19 years, 282 days | 13 Aug 1983 | Ioamnet Quintero (CUB) | 20 years, 337 days | 21 Aug 1993 |
| Youngest medalist | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS) | 19 years, 282 days | 13 Aug 1983 | Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) | 18 years, 11 days | 30 Sep 2019 |
| Youngest finalist | Patrik Sjöberg (SWE) | 18 years, 220 days | 13 Aug 1983 | Karmen Bruus (EST) | 17 years, 176 days | 19 Jul 2022 |
| Youngest participant | Tim Forsyth (AUS) | 18 years, 12 days | 8 Aug 2017 | Zheng Xingjuan (CHN) | 16 years, 139 days | 6 Aug 2005 |
| Oldest champion | Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) | 31 years, 82 days | 22 Aug 2023 | Inha Babakova (UKR) | 32 years, 63 days | 29 Aug 1999 |
| Oldest medalist | Andriy Protsenko (UKR) | 34 years, 59 days | 18 Jul 2022 | Ruth Beitia (ESP) | 34 years, 138 days | 17 Aug 2013 |
| Oldest finalist | Eike Onnen (GER) | 35 years, 10 days | 13 Aug 2017 | Ruth Beitia (ESP) | 38 years, 133 days | 12 Aug 2017 |
| Oldest participant | Dragutin Topić (SRB) | 38 years, 160 days | 19 Aug 2009 | Venelina Veneva-Mateeva (BUL) | 41 years, 75 days | 27 Aug 2015 |

## Medalists
### Men

| Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1983 Helsinki details | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS) | Tyke Peacock (USA) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) |
| 1987 Rome details | Patrik Sjöberg (SWE) | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko (URS) Igor Paklin (URS) | none awarded |
| 1991 Tokyo details | Charles Austin (USA) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | Hollis Conway (USA) |
| 1993 Stuttgart details | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | Artur Partyka (POL) | Steve Smith (GBR) |
| 1995 Gothenburg details | Troy Kemp (BAH) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | Artur Partyka (POL) |
| 1997 Athens details | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | Artur Partyka (POL) | Tim Forsyth (AUS) |
| 1999 Seville details | Vyacheslav Voronin (RUS) | Mark Boswell (CAN) | Martin Buß (GER) |
| 2001 Edmonton details | Martin Buß (GER) | Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS) Vyacheslav Voronin (RUS) | none awarded |
| 2003 Saint-Denis details | Jacques Freitag (RSA) | Stefan Holm (SWE) | Mark Boswell (CAN) |
| 2005 Helsinki details | Yuriy Krymarenko (UKR) | Víctor Moya (CUB) Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS) | none awarded |
| 2007 Osaka details | Donald Thomas (BAH) | Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS) | Kyriakos Ioannou (CYP) |
| 2009 Berlin details | Yaroslav Rybakov (RUS) | Kyriakos Ioannou (CYP) | Sylwester Bednarek (POL) Raúl Spank (GER) |
| 2011 Daegu details | Jesse Williams (USA) | Aleksey Dmitrik (RUS) | Trevor Barry (BAH) |
| 2013 Moscow details | Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR) | Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) | Derek Drouin (CAN) |
| 2015 Beijing details | Derek Drouin (CAN) | Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR) Zhang Guowei (CHN) | none awarded |
| 2017 London details | Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) | Danil Lysenko (ANA) | Majd Eddin Ghazal (SYR) |
| 2019 Doha details | Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) | Mikhail Akimenko (ANA) | Ilya Ivanyuk (ANA) |
| 2022 Eugene details | Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) | Woo Sang-hyeok (KOR) | Andriy Protsenko (UKR) |
| 2023 Budapest details | Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA) | JuVaughn Harrison (USA) | Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) |

#### Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Qatar (QAT) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Russia (RUS) | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | Cuba (CUB) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | United States (USA) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Ukraine (UKR) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Bahamas (BAH) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | Canada (CAN) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | South Africa (RSA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Poland (POL) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| – | Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | China (CHN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Cyprus (CYP) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | South Korea (KOR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Syria (SYR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (19 entries) | Totals (19 entries) | 19 | 23 | 16 | 58 |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Mutaz Barshim | Qatar (QAT) | 2013-2022 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Javier Sotomayor | Cuba (CUB) | 1991–1997 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Yaroslav Rybakov | Russia (RUS) | 2001–2009 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983–1987 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Vyacheslav Voronin | Russia (RUS) | 1999–2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Bohdan Bondarenko | Ukraine (UKR) | 2013–2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Derek Drouin | Canada (CAN) | 2013–2015 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Artur Partyka | Poland (POL) | 1993–1997 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | Mark Boswell | Canada (CAN) | 1999–2003 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Kyriakos Ioannou | Cyprus (CYP) | 2007–2009 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |

### Women

| Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1983 Helsinki details | Tamara Bykova (URS) | Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) | Louise Ritter (USA) |
| 1987 Rome details | Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) | Tamara Bykova (URS) | Susanne Beyer (GDR) |
| 1991 Tokyo details | Heike Henkel (GER) | Yelena Yelesina (URS) | Inha Babakova (URS) |
| 1993 Stuttgart details | Ioamnet Quintero (CUB) | Silvia Costa (CUB) | Sigrid Kirchmann (AUT) |
| 1995 Gothenburg details | Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) | Alina Astafei (GER) | Inha Babakova (UKR) |
| 1997 Athens details | Hanne Haugland (NOR) | Inha Babakova (UKR) Olga Kaliturina (RUS) | none awarded |
| 1999 Seville details | Inha Babakova (UKR) | Yelena Yelesina (RUS) | Svetlana Lapina (RUS) |
| 2001 Edmonton details | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) | Inha Babakova (UKR) | Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE) |
| 2003 Saint-Denis details | Hestrie Cloete (RSA) | Marina Kuptsova (RUS) | Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE) |
| 2005 Helsinki details | Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE) | Chaunté Howard (USA) | Emma Green (SWE) |
| 2007 Osaka details | Blanka Vlašić (CRO) | Anna Chicherova (RUS) Antonietta Di Martino (ITA) | none awarded |
| 2009 Berlin details | Blanka Vlašić (CRO) | Ariane Friedrich (GER) | Antonietta Di Martino (ITA) |
| 2011 Daegu details | Anna Chicherova (RUS) | Blanka Vlašić (CRO) | Antonietta Di Martino (ITA) |
| 2013 Moscow details | Brigetta Barrett (USA) | Anna Chicherova (RUS) Ruth Beitia (ESP) | none awarded |
| 2015 Beijing details | Mariya Kuchina (RUS) | Blanka Vlašić (CRO) | Anna Chicherova (RUS) |
| 2017 London details | Mariya Lasitskene (ANA) | Yuliya Levchenko (UKR) | Kamila Lićwinko (POL) |
| 2019 Doha details | Mariya Lasitskene (ANA) | Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) | Vashti Cunningham (USA) |
| 2022 Eugene details | Eleanor Patterson (AUS) | Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) | Elena Vallortigara (ITA) |
| 2023 Budapest details | Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) | Eleanor Patterson (AUS) | Nicola Olyslagers (AUS) |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Mariya Lasitskene | Russia (RUS) Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA) | 2015-2019 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Blanka Vlašić | Croatia (CRO) | 2007–2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Stefka Kostadinova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1987–1995 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Hestrie Cloete | South Africa (RSA) | 2001–2003 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Inha Babakova | Soviet Union (URS) Ukraine (UKR) | 1991–2001 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | Anna Chicherova | Russia (RUS) | 2007–2015 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Yaroslava Mahuchikh | Ukraine (UKR) | 2019–2023 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983–1987 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Eleanor Patterson | Australia (AUS) | 2022–2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Kajsa Bergqvist | Sweden (SWE) | 2001–2005 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | Yelena Yelesina | Soviet Union (URS) Russia (RUS) | 1991–1999 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Antonietta Di Martino | Italy (ITA) | 2007–2011 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |

#### Medals by country

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Russia (RUS) | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | Ukraine (UKR) | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Croatia (CRO) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| – | Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Bulgaria (BUL) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | South Africa (RSA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Soviet Union (URS) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Australia (AUS) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | Cuba (CUB) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | Norway (NOR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | United States (USA) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 13 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 14 | West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Spain (ESP) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Austria (AUT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Poland (POL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 nations | 19 nations | 18 | 22 | 17 | 57 |

## Championship record progression
### Men

Men's high jump World Championships record progression :
| Mark | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
| 2.26 m | Carlo Thränhardt | West Germany (FRG) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Valeriy Serada | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Zhu Jianhua | China (CHN) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Dwight Stones | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Tyke Peacock | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Milton Ottey | Canada (CAN) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Igor Paklin | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.26 m | Luca Toso | Italy (ITA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.29 m | Dietmar Mögenburg | West Germany (FRG) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.29 m | Zhu Jianhua | China (CHN) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.29 m | Igor Paklin | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.29 m | Tyke Peacock | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.29 m | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.29 m | Dwight Stones | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.32 m | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.32 m | Tyke Peacock | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-13 |
| 2.32 m | Igor Paklin | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.32 m | Sorin Matei | Romania (ROU) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.32 m | Patrik Sjöberg | Sweden (SWE) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.32 m | Clarence Saunders | Bermuda (BER) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.32 m | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.35 | Patrik Sjöberg | Sweden (SWE) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.35 | Dietmar Mögenburg | West Germany (FRG) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.35 | Igor Paklin | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.35 | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.38 | Patrik Sjöberg | Sweden (SWE) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.38 | Igor Paklin | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.38 | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-06 |
| 2.38 | Charles Austin | United States (USA) | 1991 | Final | 1991-09-01 |
| 2.40 m | Javier Sotomayor | Cuba (CUB) | 1993 | Final | 1993-08-22 |
| 2.41 m | Bohdan Bondarenko | Ukraine (UKR) | 2013 | Final | 2013-08-15 |

### Women

Women's high jump World Championships record progression :
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
| 1.92 m | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.92 m | Ulrike Meyfarth | West Germany (FRG) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.92 m | Coleen Sommer | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.92 m | Kerstin Brandt | East Germany (GDR) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.92 m | Louise Ritter | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.95 m | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.95 m | Ulrike Meyfarth | West Germany (FRG) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.95 m | Louise Ritter | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.95 m | Coleen Sommer | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.97 m | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.97 m | Ulrike Meyfarth | West Germany (FRG) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.99 m | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 1.99 m | Ulrike Meyfarth | West Germany (FRG) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 2.01 m | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 2.02 m | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-09 |
| 2.02 m | Stefka Kostadinova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1987 | Final | 1987-08-30 |
| 2.04 m | Tamara Bykova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-08-30 |
| 2.04 m | Stefka Kostadinova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1987 | Final | 1987-08-30 |
| 2.06 m | Stefka Kostadinova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1987 | Final | 1987-08-30 |
| 2.09 m | Stefka Kostadinova | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1987 | Final | 1987-08-30 |

## Best performances
### Top ten highest World Championship jumps$^1$

Highest men's jumps at the World Championships :
| Rank | Height(m) | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 2.41 m | Bohdan Bondarenko | Ukraine | 2013 | 2013-08-15 |
| 2 | 2.40 m | Javier Sotomayor | Cuba | 1993 | 1993-08-22 |
| 3 | 2.38 m | Patrik Sjöberg | Sweden | 1987 | 1987-09-06 |
| 3 | 2.38 m | Igor Paklin | Soviet Union | 1987 | 1987-09-06 |
| 3 | 2.38 m | Hennadiy Avdyeyenko | Soviet Union | 1987 | 1987-09-06 |
| 3 | 2.38 m | Charles Austin | United States | 1991 | 1991-09-01 |
| 3 | 2.38 m | Mutaz Essa Barshim | Qatar | 2013 | 2013-08-15 |
| 3 | 2.38 m | Derek Drouin | Canada | 2013 | 2013-08-15 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Artur Partyka | Poland | 1993 | 1993-08-22 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Steve Smith | Great Britain | 1993 | 1993-08-22 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Troy Kemp | Bahamas | 1995 | 1995-08-08 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Javier Sotomayor | Cuba | 1995 | 1995-08-08 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Javier Sotomayor | Cuba | 1997 | 1997-08-06 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Vyacheslav Voronin | Russia | 1999 | 1999-08-23 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Mutaz Essa Barshim | Qatar | 2019 | 2019-10-04 |
| 9 | 2.37 m | Mutaz Essa Barshim | Qatar | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
Highest women's jumps at the World Championships :
| Rank | Height (m) | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 2.09 m | Stefka Kostadinova | Bulgaria | 1987 | 1987-08-30 |
| 2 | 2.06 m | Hestrie Cloete | South Africa | 2003 | 2003-08-31 |
| 3 | 2.05 m | Heike Henkel | Germany | 1991 | 1991-08-31 |
| 3 | 2.05 m | Blanka Vlašić | Croatia | 2007 | 2007-09-02 |
| 5 | 2.04 m | Blanka Vlašić | Croatia | 2009 | 2009-08-20 |
| 5 | 2.04 m | Mariya Lasitskene | Authorised Neutral Athletes | 2019 | 2019-09-30 |
| 5 | 2.04 m | Yaroslava Mahuchikh | Ukraine | 2019 | 2019-09-30 |
| 8 | 2.03 m | Anna Chicherova | Russia | 2007 | 2007-09-02 |
| 8 | 2.03 m | Antonietta Di Martino | Italy | 2007 | 2007-09-02 |
| 8 | 2.03 m | Anna Chicherova | Russia | 2011 | 2011-09-03 |
| 8 | 2.03 m | Blanka Vlašić | Croatia | 2011 | 2011-09-03 |
| 8 | 2.03 m | Mariya Lasitskene | Authorised Neutral Athletes | 2017 | 2017-08-12 |
$^1$Does not include ancillary marks