This is the eighth in a series of 13 posts in which TFI will preview all 48 events that will comprise the athletics portion of the Olympic Games in Paris. The track and field competition will run from Thursday, August 1, through Sunday, August 11. Once all of the preview capsules have been posted they will be pinned on the TFI home page for easy reference. The next post after this one? The women’s jumps.
HIGH JUMP
World Record: 2.45 (8-0¼), Javier Sotomayor (Cuba), 1993.
Olympic Record: 2.39 (7-10), Charles Austin (US), 1996.
World Leader: 2.37 (7-9¼), Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy).
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy), 2.36 (7-8¾).
2022 World Championships: Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar), 2.37 (7-9¼).
2021 Olympic Games: Tie between Barshim and Tamberi, 2.37 (7-9¼).
2019 World Championships: Barshim, 2.37 (7-9¼).
2017 World Championships: Barshim, 2.35 (7-8½).
2016 Olympic Games: Derek Drouin (Canada), 2.38 (7-9½).
SCHEDULE
August 7: Qualification, 4:05 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
August 10: Final, 1:10 p.m.
OUTLOOK
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmaro Tamberi of Italy, the two high jumpers who made Olympic history in the Games in Tokyo in 2021 when they agreed to tie for first place in the high jump rather than take part in a jump-off, appear to be dealing with injuries as they enter the competition in Paris. Barshim, the winner of three consecutive World Athletics Championship titles in 2017, ‘19, and ’22, had a season best of 2.31 (7-7) after winning two meets and placing second in two others during his first four competitions of the season. But apparent back issues led him to withdraw from a Diamond League meet in London on July 20. Various physical ailments forced Tamberi to postpone the start of his season until the European Athletics Championships in early June, but he cleared a yearly world-leading height of 2.37 (7-9¼) to win that competition. However, he only cleared 2.23 (7-3¾) while finishing second in a meet in Kosice, Slovakia, eight days later and he has not jumped since. Hamish Kerr of New Zealand could be the most consistent jumper of the year thus far as he has won four of six meets — including three of four Diamond League affairs — since he cleared 2.36 (7-8¾) in winning the World Athletics Indoor Championships on March 3. American JuVaughn Harrison, the silver medalist in last year’s World Championships, cleared 2.34 (7-8) in April but has struggled since then. Compatriot Shelby McEwen and Sanghyeok Woo of Korea have shown more consistency than Harrison and each have a seasons best of 2.33 (7-7½). Woo placed fourth in the Olympic Games, and finished second in the World Championships in 2022 and sixth last year. McEwen placed 12th in the Olympic Games in 2021 before finishing fifth and seventh, respectively, in the two global title meets since then. Tobias Potye of Germany, Jan Stefela of the Czechia, and Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine are amongst six men who have yearly bests of 2.30 (7-6½). Potye placed fifth in last year’s World Championships, and Doroshchuk and Stefela finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the World indoor meet in March.
POLE VAULT
World Record: 6.24 (20-5½), Mondo Duplantis (Sweden), 2024.
Olympic Record: 6.03 (19-9¼), Thiago Braz (Brazil), 2016.
World Leader: 6.24 (20-5½), Mondo Duplantis (Sweden).
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Mondo Duplantis (Sweden), 6.10 (20-0).
2022 World Championships: Duplantis, 6.21 (20-4¼) WR.
2021 Olympic Games: Duplantis, 6.02 (19-9).
2019 World Championships: Sam Kendricks (US), 5.97 (19-7).
2017 World Championships: Kendricks, 5.95 (19-6¼).
2016 Olympic Games: Thiago Braz (Brazil), 6.03 (19-9¼).
SCHEDULE
August 3: Qualification, 4:10 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
August 5: Final, 1:00 p.m.
OUTLOOK
There might not be a more dominant performer in athletics today than Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, who will enter the Olympic Games in Paris as a winner of 61 of his last 64 competitions and as someone who has set the last eight world records in the men’s pole vault. But if he were to raise the world record to 6.25 (20-6) in Paris, it would mark the first time since the 1980 Games in Moscow that the men’s pole vault record was broken in the Olympics. Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz of Poland had raised the world record to 5.78 (18-11½) in that competition and his performance was even more impressive because he did it in front of a hostile crowd that jeered each time he and compatriot — and defending champion — Tadeuz Slusarski jumped, and cheered wildly for Konstantin Volkov of the Soviet Union. The battle for second place behind Duplantis in Paris should be a fierce one as Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen of the U.S. has a season best of 6.00 (19-8), while Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines has cleared 5.97 (19-7), and Sam Kendricks of the U.S. and Thibault Collett of France each have yearly bests of 5.95 (19-6¼). Obiena was the silver medalist in last year’s World Athletics Championships after winning a bronze medal in 2022, and Kendricks won World titles in 2017 and ’19 prior to the the run of global titles by Duplantis. Emmanouli Karalis has raised the Greek record to 5.93 (19-5¼) this season, and Kurtis Marschall of Australia and Jacob Wooten of the U.S. have each cleared 5.87 (19-3), followed by Menno Vloon of the Netherlands at 5.84 (19-1¾). Marschall and Nilsen had tied for third place in last year’s World Championships when they each cleared 5.95.
LONG JUMP
World Record: 8.95 (29-4¼), Mike Powell (US), 1991.
Olympic Record: 8.90 (29-2¼), Bob Beamon (US), 1968.
World Leader: 8.65 (28-4½), Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece).
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece), 8.52 (27-11¼).
2022 World Championships: Jianan Wang (China), 8.36 (27-5¼).
2021 Olympic Games: Tentoglou, 8.41 (27-7).
2019 World Championships: Tajay Gayle (Jamaica), 8.69 (28-6).
2017 World Championships: Luvo Manyonga (South Africa), 8.48 (27-9¾).
2016 Olympic Games: Jeff Henderson (US), 8.38 (27-5¾).
SCHEDULE
August 4: Qualification, 5:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
August 6: Final, 2:15 p.m.
OUTLOOK
If Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece is victorious in Paris, he will become only the second man in history to have won consecutive Olympic titles in the long jump and the first since Carl Lewis of the U.S. won his fourth gold medal in a row in the Games in Atlanta in 1996. After finishing 10th in the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Tentoglou won the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, placed second in the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and won last year’s global title meet in Budapest, Hungary. He has also won World indoor titles in 2022 and in March of this year. Tentoglou won the gold medal in Tokyo on his sixth — and final — jump and he led for most of the competition in the 2022 World Championships, only to have Jianan Wang of China move from fifth place to first on his last effort. He was in second place — on the tiebreaker — after five rounds in Budapest, but he produced a clutch 8.52 (27-11¼) jump on his final effort to finish two centimeters ahead of Wayne Pinnock of Jamaica. Tentoglou finished second in his first outdoor meet this season after winning the World indoor title, but he’s riding a six-meet winning streak heading into Paris that includes a personal best of 8.65 (28-4½) that came in winning his second consecutive European title. Simon Ehammer of Switzerland sits second on the yearly performer list with a best of 8.41 (27-7) and Pinnock is third with his winning 8.40 (27-6½) mark from the NCAA indoor championships in early March while he was jumping for the University of Arkansas. Mattia Furlani of Italy and Carey McLeod of Jamaica have each leaped 8.38 (27-5¾) this year, while Filip Pravdica of Croatia has spanned 8.35 (27-4½). Christopher Mitrevski of Australia and Jovan Van Vuuren of South Africa are just behind Pravdica with bests of 8.32 (27-3¼) and 8.30 (27-2¾), respectively. Jamaican Tajay Gayle has yet to jump particularly far this season as he has a best of 8.18 (26-10), but the 2019 World champion is worth keeping an eye on as he won the bronze medal in the World Championships last year.
TRIPLE JUMP
World Record: 18.29 (60-0), Jonathan Edwards (GB), 1995.
Olympic Record: 18.09 (59-4), Kenny Harrison (US), 1996.
World Leader: 18.18 (59-7¾), Jordan Alejandro Diaz Fortun (Spain).
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Hugues Fabrice Zango (Burkina Faso), 17.64 (57-10¼).
2022 World Championships: Pedro Pichardo (Portugal), 17.95 (58-10½).
2021 Olympic Games: Pichardo, 17.98 (58-11¾).
2019 World Championships: Christian Taylor (US), 17.92 (58-9½).
2017 World Championships: Taylor, 17.68 (58-0).
2016 Olympic Games: Taylor, 17.86 (58-7).
SCHEDULE
August 7: Qualification, 1:35 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
August 9: Final, 2:10 p.m.
OUTLOOK
After defecting from Cuba in 2021 and gaining his Spanish citizenship in 2022, Jordan Alejandro Diaz Fortun bounded a whopping 18.18 (59-7¾) to win the European Athletics Championships on June 11 just days after he had become eligible to represent Spain at the international level. Diaz Fortun’s jump had come on the sixth round of the competition and it propelled him past Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo, who had leaped a national record of 18.04 (59-2) in the second round. Diaz Fortun’s 18.18 effort improved upon the Spanish record of 17.96 (58-11) that he had set in the fourth round, moved him to third on the all-time performer list, and was the best jump in the world since Christian Taylor of the U.S. leaped 18.21 (59-8¾) in winning the 2015 World Athletics Championships. The jump also made defending Olympic champion and 2022 World champion Pichardo one of only two men to have been beaten when they leaped 18 meters (59-0½) or farther. Jaydon Hibbert of Jamaica, Andy Diaz Hernandez of Italy and Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso occupy the Nos. 3-5 spots on the yearly world list with marks of 17.75 (58-2¾), 17.61 (57-9¼), and 17.57 (57-7½), respectively. Hibbert leaped a collegiate outdoor record of 17.87 (58-7½) during his freshman — and only — season at the University of Arkansas last year, Diaz Hernandez is a native of Cuba, just like Diaz Fortun and Pichardo, and Zango won the World title last year after finishing second in the global title meet in 2022 and third in the Olympic Games in 2021. The next five jumpers on the yearly world list are Salif Mane of the U.S. at 17.52 (57-5¾), Thomas Gogois of France at 17.38 (57-0¼), Yasser Mohammed Triki of Algeria at 17.35 (56-11), Amir dos Santos of Brazil at 17.31 (56-9½), and Wen Su of China at 17.17 (56-3¾). Lazaro Martinez of Cuba has a season best of 17.10 (56-1), but he was the silver medalist behind Zango in the World Championships last year.