The first world record in the men's high jump was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1912.
As of June, 2009, the IAAF has ratified 40 world records in the event.
Fourteen of the 16 records from 1912 to 1960 were set in the United States and were originally measured in feet and inches; they were converted to metric before being ratified as world records. As of January 1, 1963, records were accepted as metric marks, with marks measured in feet and inches to the nearest quarter-inch and rounded down to the nearest centimetre.[1] When measurements were taken in feet and inches the bar could be raised, for record-attempt purposes, in increments of one-quarter inch. Under the metric system, a new record must be (at least) one centimeter higher. In 1973, American Dwight Stones was the first Fosbury Flop jumper to set a world record. The namesake of the technique, Dick Fosbury impressed the world by winning the 1968 Olympics with the flop, but never held the world record. The last Straddle style jumper to hold the World Record was Vladimir Yashchenko (Soviet Union/Ukraine) in 1978; all record-setters since then have used the Flop technique.
The world record of 2.45m (08.04feet) by Cuban Javier Sotomayor in 1993 has never been surpassed.
| Ratified | ||
| Ratified but later rescinded |
| Mark | Athlete | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [2] | ||||
| [3] [4] | ||||
| April/May 1912 |
DateFormat = yyyyPeriod = from:1910 till:2021TimeAxis = orientation:verticalScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1910
Colors= id:Basis value:blue legend:World_record_men's_high_jump
PlotData= bar:Leaders width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S shift:(22,-4) from:1910 till:end color:Basis at:1912 text:George Horine_2.00_m at:1914 text:Edward Beeson_2.022_m at:1924 text:Harold Osborn_2.038_m at:1933 text:Walter Marty_2.04_m at:1934 text:Walter Marty_2.06_m at:1936 text:Cornelius Johnson_2.07_m at:1936 shift:(22,2) text:Dave Albritton_2.07_m at:1937 shift:(22,2) text:Mel Walker_2.09_m at:1941 text:Lester Steers_2.11_m at:1953 text:Walt Davis_2.12_m at:1956 text:Charles Dumas_2.15_m at:1957 text:Yuriy Stepanov_2.16_m at:1960 shift:(22,-10) text:John Thomas_2.17_m at:1960 shift:(22,-4) text:John Thomas_2.18_m at:1960 text:John Thomas_2.22_m at:1961 text:Valeriy Brumel_2.23_m at:1961 shift:(22,3) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.24_m at:1961 shift:(22,5) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.25_m at:1962 shift:(22,6) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.26_m at:1962 shift:(22,11) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.27_m at:1963 shift:(22,14) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.28_m at:1971 text:Pat Matzdorf_2.29_m at:1973 text:Dwight Stones_2.30_m at:1976 shift:(22,-8) text:Dwight Stones_2.31_m at:1976 shift:(22,-2) text:Dwight Stones_2.32_m at:1978 shift:(22,-2) text:Franklin Jacobs_2.32_m at:1977 text:Vladimir Yashchenko_2.33_m at:1978 shift:(22,1) text:Vladimir Yashchenko_2.34_m at:1980 shift:(22,-2) text:Jacek Wszola_2.35_m at:1980 text:Dietmar Mögenburg_2.35_m at:1980 shift:(22,5) text:Gerd Wessig_2.36_m at:1983 shift:(22,-5) text:Zhu Jianhua_2.37_m at:1983 shift:(22,2) text:Zhu Jianhua_2.38_m at:1984 text:Zhu Jianhua_2.39_m at:1985 text:Rudolf Povarnitsyn_2.40_m at:1985 shift:(22,2) text:Igor Paklin_2.41_m at:1988 text:Patrik Sjöberg_2.42_m at:1988 shift:(22,2) text:Javier Sotomayor_2.43_m at:1989 shift:(22,2) text:Javier Sotomayor_2.44_m at:1993 text:Javier Sotomayor_2.45_m
| Mark | Athlete | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1912[5] | ||||
| 2 May 1914[6] | ||||
| 27 May 1924[7] | ||||
| 13 May 1933 | ||||
| 28 April 1934 | ||||
| 12 July 1936 | ||||
| 12 July 1936 | ||||
| 12 August 1937 | ||||
| 17 June 1941 | ||||
| 27 June 1953 | ||||
| 29 June 1956 | ||||
| 13 July 1957 | ||||
| 30 April 1960 | ||||
| 21 May 1960 | ||||
| 24 June 1960 | ||||
| 1 July 1960 | ||||
| 18 June 1961 | ||||
| 16 July 1961 | ||||
| 31 August 1961 | ||||
| 22 July 1962 | ||||
| 29 September 1962 | ||||
| 21 July 1963 | ||||
| 3 July 1971 | ||||
| 11 July 1973 | ||||
| 5 June 1976 | ||||
| 4 August 1976 | ||||
| 2 June 1977 | ||||
| Tbilisi, Soviet Union | 16 June 1978 | |||
| 25 May 1980 | ||||
| Rehlingen, West Germany | 26 May 1980 | |||
| Moscow, Soviet Union | 1 August 1980 | |||
| Beijing, China | 11 June 1983 | |||
| Shanghai, China | 22 September 1983 | |||
| Eberstadt, West Germany | 10 June 1984 | |||
| Donetsk, Soviet Union | 11 August 1985 | |||
| 4 September 1985 | ||||
| Stockholm, Sweden | 30 June 1987 | |||
| 26 February 1988[8] | ||||
| 8 September 1988 | ||||
| 29 July 1989 | ||||
| Salamanca, Spain | 27 July 1993 |