The High Jump: Rules, Records and Fantasy Scoring

What the event is

Athletes run a curved approach and jump over a bar that is raised after each round, landing on a mat. Since the 1968 Olympics almost everyone has used the Fosbury Flop, going over head first and back down. The high jump is a competition of nerve as much as ability: the bar keeps rising until everyone but the winner has failed three times.

How it is run

The competition starts at an opening height and the bar goes up in set increments, usually 3cm early and 2cm late. Each athlete has three attempts at each height and can pass a height to save energy. Three consecutive failures, at any combination of heights, ends an athlete's competition.

The result is the highest bar cleared. Ties are broken first by fewer failures at that height, then by fewer failures in the whole competition. If athletes are still tied for first, they can share the gold or contest a jump-off with one attempt at each height.

Championships run a qualifying round and a final. One-day meets run a single competition.

What a world-class mark looks like

Clearing 2.30m for men and 2.00m for women is world class. Championship medals typically need 2.33m or better and 2.00m to 2.04m. The men's world record of 2.45m has stood since 1993; the women's record of 2.10m was set in 2024.

How the high jump scores in Heatsheet

The high jump fills the field roster slot with the other jumps and the throws, and your lineup can start two field athletes. Finals pay 10 down to 1. Ties at a height are broken as above, so two athletes rarely share a placing.

High jumpers score at every meet they compete in, and the event's top athletes often compete more frequently than sprinters. Personal-best bonuses are hard to come by at the elite level, but a jumper in form can string together wins for a whole season. Championships have a qualifying round and a final; see the scoring page for how round advancement is rewarded.