The high jump world record is an astonishing one and has risen greatly over the past 100 years.
- Currently, the world record is held by Javier Sotomayor from Cuba, who jumped 2.45m to set the world record in 1993.
- He is the only person to have ever jumped over 8 feet in height (8 feet, 0.25 inches). It is currently the longest standing record in the high jump event.
You can see video footage of the men’s high jump world record by Javier Sotomayor in the video below.
Men’s high jump world record
Javier Sotomayor
2.45m
To put this in perspective, someone photoshopped Mutarz Barshim’s 2.43m clearance next to a basketball ring.

Image source: Mashable
The women’s high jump world record is another incredible feat. The record of 2.09m (6 feet and 10.25 inches) was set by Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria in 1987. The only woman that has come close to breaking the record is Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic, who has cleared 2.08m in her career.
You can see video footage of her world record breaking clearance in the video below.
Women’s high jump world record.
Stefka Kostadinova
2.09 m
The table below shows the current records held by both men and women for both indoor, outdoor and age performances.
Men’s Records
Records | Name | Height | Country |
Men’s World Record | Javier Sotomayor | 2.45m | Cuba |
Men’s Olympic Record | Charles Austin | 2.39m | USA |
Men’s Indoor Record | Javier Sotomayor | 2.43m | Cuba |
Men’s Under 20 World Record | Dragutin Topic
Steve Smith | 2.37m
2.37m | Yugoslavia United Kingdom |
Men’s Under 18 World Record | Javier Sotomayor | 2.33m | Cuba |
Women’s Records
Record | Name | Height | Country |
Women’s World Record | Stefka Kostadinova | 2.09m | Bulgaria |
Women’s Olympic Record | Yelena Slesarenko | 2.06m | Russia |
Women’s Indoor Record | Kajsa Bergqvist | 2.08m | Sweden |
Women’s Under 20 Record | Olga Turchak
Heike Balck | 2.01m
2.01m | USSR
West Germany |
Women’s Under 18 Record | Charmaine Gale-Weavers
Olga Turchak Eleanor Patterson | 1.96m
1.96m 1.96m | South Africa USSRAustralia |
Image source: Grenada Sports
Bonus
If you want to improve your high jump, you can buy this 7 day a week training program for $10, which will help you improve your jumping ability and overall high jumping performance.
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