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Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump

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Men's high jump
at the Games of the XXII Olympiad
Gerd Wessig earlier in 1980
VenueLenin Stadium
Dates31 July-1 August
Competitors30 from 19 nations
Winning height2.36 WR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Gerd Wessig
 East Germany
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Jacek Wszoła
 Poland
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Jörg Freimuth
 East Germany
← 1976
1984 →

The men's high jump event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union, had an entry list of 30 competitors from 19 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was held on Friday 1 August 1980.[1] The event was won by Gerd Wessig of East Germany, the first gold medal by a German athlete in the men's high jump. It was also the first time a world record in the high jump had been set at the Olympics. Jörg Freimuth took bronze, making East Germany the third nation (after the United States and Soviet Union) to have two medalists in the event in the same Games. Defending champion Jacek Wszoła of Poland took silver, becoming the fourth man to win two high jump medals and matching Valeriy Brumel for best results at one gold and one silver. Through the 2016 Games, Wszoła, Brumel, and Javier Sotomayor (who joined them at one gold and one silver in 2000) remain the most successful Olympic men's high jumpers; no high jumper has won two gold medals, or one gold and two silvers. Due at least in part to the American-led boycott, the United States' streak of making the podium in every Olympic men's high jump event to date (18 times before 1980) ended.

Background

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This was the 19th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The only returning finalist from the 1976 Games was gold medalist Jacek Wszoła of Poland. Four men had broken or tied the world record since the Montreal Games, but Wszoła was the only one in Moscow. American Dwight Stones (2.32 metres just days after taking bronze in Montreal) was absent due to the American-led boycott. Vladimir Yashchenko of the Soviet Union (2.33 metres in 1977, 2.34 metres in 1978) was injured. Wszoła had set the then-current record of 2.35 metres in 1980; Dietmar Mögenburg of West Germany had matched it the next day. Mögenburg was also absent due to the boycott. This left Wszoła as the "heavy favorite."[2]

Algeria, Senegal, and Syria each made their debut in the event. France appeared for the 16th time, most of any nation competing but behind the absent United States (18 appearances) and tied with the also-absent Sweden (16 appearances).

Competition format

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The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1912. There were two distinct rounds of jumping with results cleared between rounds. Jumpers were eliminated if they had three consecutive failures, whether at a single height or between multiple heights if they attempted to advance before clearing a height.

The qualifying round had the bar set at 2.05 metres, 2.10 metres, 2.15 metres, 2.18 metres, and 2.21 metres. All jumpers clearing 2.21 metres in the qualifying round advanced to the final. If fewer than 12 jumpers could achieve it, the top 12 (including ties) would advance to the final.

The final had jumps at 2.10 metres, 2.15 metres, 2.18 metres, 2.21 metres, 2.24 metres, 2.27 metres, 2.29 metres, 2.31 metres, 2.33 metres, 2.36 metres, and 2.38 metres.[2][3]

Records

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

World record  Jacek Wszoła (POL) 2.35 Eberstadt, West Germany 25 May 1980
Olympic record  Jacek Wszoła (POL) 2.25 Montreal, Canada 31 July 1976

All three East Germans, as well as Jacek Wszoła, successfully jumped 2.27 metres to beat the Olympic record; the four men each cleared 2.29 metres as well. The medalists (Gerd Wessig, Wszoła, and Jörg Freimuth) were the three men to clear 2.31. Only Wessig succeeded at 2.33 metres; he then went for a new world record at 2.36, clearing it in his second attempt. He could not extend his new record to 2.38 metres, however.

Schedule

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All times are Moscow Time (UTC+3)

Date Time Round
Thursday, 31 July 1980 10:00 Qualifying
Saturday, 1 August 1980 16:30 Final

Results

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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

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The qualifying round was held on Thursday July 31, 1980.

Rank Group Athlete Nation 2.05 2.10 2.15 2.18 2.21 Height Notes
1 B Mark Naylor  Great Britain o o o o 2.21 Q
2 A Jörg Freimuth  East Germany o o o o o 2.21 Q
A Henry Lauterbach  East Germany o o o o o 2.21 Q
A Gerd Wessig  East Germany o o o o o 2.21 Q
5 A Roland Dalhäuser  Switzerland o o xo o 2.21 Q
6 A Aleksey Demyanyuk  Soviet Union xo xo o o o 2.21 Q
A Gennadiy Belkov  Soviet Union o o o xxo o 2.21 Q
A Marco Tamberi  Italy o o o xxo o 2.21 Q
B Vaso Komnenić  Yugoslavia o o o xxo o 2.21 Q
10 B Sorin Matei  Romania o xo xxo o 2.21 Q
11 A Jacek Wszoła  Poland o o o xo 2.21 Q
12 A Adrian Proteasa  Romania xxo o xo xo 2.21 Q
13 A Aleksandr Grigoryev  Soviet Union o o o xxo 2.21 Q
14 B Guy Moreau  Belgium o o o xo xxo 2.21 Q
15 A Janusz Trzepizur  Poland xo xo o xxo 2.21 Q
16 B Roberto Cabrejas  Spain o o xo xxo xxo 2.21 Q
17 A Francis Agbo  France o o o xxx 2.18
18 A Oscar Raise  Italy o o xo o xxx 2.18
19 A Zoltán Torsi  Hungary o xo xo o xxx 2.18
20 A Paolo Borghi  Italy o o o xo xxx 2.18
21 B Abdel Hamid Sahil  Algeria xo o o xxo xxx 2.18
22 B Martí Perarnau  Spain o xo o xxx 2.15
23 B István Gibicsár  Hungary xo o xxo xxx 2.15
24 B Atanas Mladenov  Bulgaria o o xxx 2.10
B Desmond Morris  Jamaica o o xxx 2.10
26 B Francisco Centelles  Cuba xo xxx 2.10
27 B Moussa Sagna Fall  Senegal o xo xxx 2.10
28 B Othmane Belfaa  Algeria o xxx 2.05
29 B Ahmad Balkis  Syria xo xxx 2.05
B Cláudio Freire  Brazil xo xxx 2.05

Final

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Rank Athlete Nation 2.10 2.15 2.18 2.21 2.24 2.27 2.29 2.31 2.33 2.36 2.38 Height Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) Gerd Wessig  East Germany o o o o xo o xo xo xxx 2.36 WR
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Jacek Wszoła  Poland o xo xo o o xo xxx 2.31
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Jörg Freimuth  East Germany o o o o xxo o xo xxx 2.31
4 Henry Lauterbach  East Germany o xxo xo o o xxx 2.29
5 Roland Dalhäuser  Switzerland o o xo xxx 2.24
6 Vaso Komnenić  Yugoslavia o o o xxo xxx 2.24
7 Adrian Proteasa  Romania o o o xxx 2.21
8 Aleksandr Grigoryev  Soviet Union o o o o xxx 2.21
9 Mark Naylor  Great Britain o xo o xxx 2.21
10 Gennadiy Belkov  Soviet Union o o xo o xxx 2.21
11 Aleksey Demyanyuk  Soviet Union o o xo xxo xxx 2.21
12 Janusz Trzepizur  Poland o o xxx 2.18
13 Sorin Matei  Romania o o o xxx 2.18
14 Guy Moreau  Belgium o o xo xxx 2.18
15 Marco Tamberi  Italy o o xxx 2.15
16 Roberto Cabrejas  Spain o xxx 2.10

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games: Men's High Jump". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "High Jump, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  3. ^ Official Report, vol. 3, p. 53.
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