This is the ninth 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 men’s throws.
HIGH JUMP
World Record: 2.10 (6-10½), Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine), 2024.
Olympic Record: 2.06 (6-9), Yelena Slesarenko (Russia), 2004.
World Leader: 2.10 (6-10½), Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine).
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine), 2.01 (6-7).
2022 World Championships: Eleanor Patterson (Australia), 2.02 (6-7½).
2021 Olympic Games: Mariya Lasitskene (Russia), 2.04 (6-8¼).
2019 World Championships: Lasitskene (Authorized Neutral Athletes), 2.04 (6-8¼).
2017 World Championships: Lasitskene (ANA), 2.03 (6-7¾).
2016 Olympic Games: Ruth Beitia (Spain), 1.97 (6-5½).
SCHEDULE
August 2: Qualification, 4:15 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
August 4: Final, 1:50 p.m.
OUTLOOK
Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine has only competed in three meets during the outdoor season heading into Paris, but she has been very efficient as she cleared 2.00 (6-6½) to win her season opener in the BAUHUAS-Galan Diamond League meet in Stockholm on June 2 before making 2.01 (6-7) while winning her second consecutive title in the European Athletics Championships in Rome on June 9. Then came the Meeting de Paris Diamond League meet on July 7 when she raised her national record from 2.06 (6-9) to 2.10 (6-10½) to break the world record 2.09 (6-10¼) that was set by Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria in the 1987 World Athletics Championships in Rome. Mahuchikh cleared the record height on her first attempt and also had a second-attempt make at 2.07 (6-9½). While her performance stamped her as the definitive favorite for Paris, she said she was expecting the competition to be tough in the Olympics. Nicola Olyslagers of Australia, who has a personal best of 2.03 (6-7¾), appears to be the jumper with the best chance of defeating Mahuchikh as she defeated the Ukrainian for the World indoor title in March. She also won the silver medal in the Olympic Games in Tokyo before tying for fifth place in the 2022 World Championships and finishing third last year. The 22-year-old Mahuchikh first made waves on the senior level internationally when she placed second in the 2019 World Championships and she proceeded to finish third in the Olympic Games in 2021 before winning the World indoor title and placing second in the outdoor championships in 2022. She then won her first World title outdoors last year. Lamarra Distin of Jamaica and Rachel Glenn of the U.S. are tied for third on the yearly world performer list as they each cleared a collegiate-record height of 2.00 (6-6½) during the indoor season while competing for Texas A&M and the University of Arkansas, respectively. Angelina Topic has cleared a Serbian record of 1.98 (6-5¾) and six other entrants have made 1.97 (6-5½) this year. Included in that group is American Vashti Cunningham, as well as Elena Kulichenko of Cypress, Rose Yeboah of Ghana, Temitope Adeshina of Nigeria, Ella Junnila of Finland, and Airine Palsyte of Lithuania. Kulichenko, Yeboah, and Adeshina cleared their national-record heights while competing for the University of Georgia, the University of Illinois, and Texas Tech University, respectively, in the NCAA championships. Lia Apostolovski of Slovenia and Christina Honsel of Germany have cleared 1.95 (6-4¾) this year. They finished third and fourth, respectively, in the World indoor championships.
POLE VAULT
World Record: 5.06 (16-7), Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia), 2009.
Olympic Record: 5.05 (16-6¾), Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia), 2008.
World Leader: 4.92 (16-1½), Molly Caudery (GB).
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Tie between Nina Kennedy (Australia), Katie Moon (nee Nageotte, US), 4.90 (16-0¾).
2022 World Championships: Nageotte (US), 4.85 (15-10¾).
2021 Olympic Games: Nageotte, 4.90 (16-0¾).
2019 World Championships: Anzhelika Sidorova (Authorized Neutral Athletes), 4.95 (16-2¾).
2017 World Championships: Katerina Stefanidi (Greece), 4.91 (16-1¼).
2016 Olympic Games: Stefanidi, 4.85 (15-10¾).
SCHEDULE
August 5: Qualification, 4:40 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
August 7: Final, 1:00 p.m.
OUTLOOK
After finishing third in the 2022 World Athletics Championships and tying for first place in the global title meet last year, Nina Kennedy of Australia could be headed to an undisputed Olympic title in Paris. The pole vault is such a technical event that it can be difficult to jump consistently high, but Kennedy cleared winning heights of 4.80 (15-8¾), 4.75 (15-7), 4.88 (16-0), and 4.85 (15-10¾) heading into the Olympic Games. Her last two victories came against very good fields in Diamond League meets in Fontvieille, Monaco, on July 12 and in London on July 20. Kennedy defeated World indoor champion Molly Caudery of Great Britain in both of those meets after clearing the same height (4.73/15-6) as her in a Diamond League meet in Doha, Qatar, in early May, but finishing second on the tiebreaker. While Caudery sits atop the yearly world performer list with her national record of 4.92 (16-1½), Kennedy and European champion Angelica Moser of Switzerland are tied for second at 4.88. They are followed by Katie Moon of the U.S. at 4.85 (15-10¾), Eliza McCartney of New Zealand at 4.84 (15-10½), and Alysha Newman of Canada and Bridget Williams of the U.S., each at 4.83 (15-10). Moon is the defending Olympic champion, and won the 2022 World title outright before sharing the championship with Kennedy last year. She cleared her season best in a meet in Chula Vista, California, in early June, but only cleared 4.66 (15-3¼) and 4.50 (14-9) in her final two meets before Paris. Wilma Murto of Finland, who has a season best of 4.81 (15-9¼), is another competitor to watch as she tied for sixth in the 2022 World Championships before winning the bronze medal in last year’s meet.
LONG JUMP
World Record: 7.52 (24-8), Galina Chistyakova (Soviet Union), 1988.
Olympic Record: 7.40 (24-3¼), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US), 1988.
World Leader: 7.22 (23-8¼), Malaika Mihambo (Germany).
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Ivana Vuleta (Serbia), 7.14 (23-5).
2022 World Championships: Malaika Mihambo (Germany), 7.12 (23-4¼).
2021 Olympic Games: Mihambo, 7.00 (22-11½).
2019 World Championships: Mihambo, 7.30 (23-11¼).
2017 World Championships: Brittney Reese (US), 7.02 (23-0¼).
2016 Olympic Games: Tianna Bartoletta (US), 7.17 (23-6¼).
SCHEDULE
August 6: Qualification, 5:15 a.m.; Eastern Daylight Time.
August 8: Final, 2:00 p.m.
OUTLOOK
Defending Olympic champion and two-time World champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany produced the longest jump in the world this year when she leaped 7.22 (23-8¼) in winning her second title in the European Athletics Championships in Rome on June 12. But no one has jumped consistently farther this year that American Tara Davis-Woodhall. The silver medalist in last year’s World Championships, Davis-Woodhall capped a four-meet undercover season by winning the World indoor title on March 3 and she has followed that by winning all three of her outdoor meets. Her best jump indoors was a 7.18 (23-6½) effort in the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships in February and her top mark during the current outdoor season stands at 7.16 (23-5¾) from a meet in May. However, she did receive a scare in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials last month when she fouled on her first two jumps of the final and needed a wind-aided leap of 7.00 (22-11½) in the fifth round to move from fifth place to first. For her part, Mihambo had a sub-par meet in the Meeting de Paris competition on July 7 when she finished seventh at 6.60 (21-7¾), but she won a Diamond League meet in London with a leap of 6.87 (22-6¼) on July 20. The next four longest jumpers on the year are Jasmine Moore of the U.S. at 6.98 (22-10¾), Plamena Mitkova of Bulgaria at 6.97 (22-10¼), and Larissa Iapichino of Italy and Alina Rotaru-Kottmann of Romania, both at 6.94 (22-9). Rotaru-Kottman was the bronze medalist in last year’s World Championships and Iapichino placed fifth. Mikaelle Assani of Germany and Agate de Sousa of Portugal have each jumped 6.91 (22-78) this season. Veteran performer Ivana Vulveta of Serbia won her first World outdoor title last year, but she did not open her season until July 7 and has a best of 6.29 (20-7½) heading into Paris. She has also changed her last name to Spanovic, as she has divorced since last season.
TRIPLE JUMP
World Record: 15.67 (51-5), Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela), 2021.
Olympic Record: 15.67 (51-5), Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela), 2021.
World Leader: 14.85 (48-8¾), Viyaleta Skvartsova (Russia), Ana Peleteiro-Compaore (Spain)
RECENT GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
2023 World Championships: Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela), 15.08 (49-5½).
2022 World Championships: Rojas, 15.47 (50-9).
2021 Olympic Games: Rojas, 15.67 (51-4¾) WR.
2019 World Championships: Rojas, 15.37 (50-5).
2017 World Championships: Rojas, 14.91 (48-11).
2016 Olympic Games: Caterine Ibarguen (Colombia), 15.17 (49-9¼).
SCHEDULE
August 2: Qualification, 12:15 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
August 3: Final, 2:20 p.m.
OUTLOOK
Yulimar Rojas’ streak of outdoor global titles will officially end at five in a row in Paris as the world record-holder suffered an Achilles tendon injury earlier this year that required surgery. With the Venezuelan great out of the picture, Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba appears to be the favorite as she has won all five of her outdoor meets after finishing second to Thea LaFond of Dominica in the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March. LaFond’s national record leap of 15.01 (49-2¾) in that meet is the farthest in the world this year, but Perez Hernandez produced an outdoor-leading mark of 14.96 (49-0¾) in winning the Herculis EBS Diamond League meet in Fontvieille, Monaco, on July 12, and she also had a leap of 14.95 (49-0½) during that competition. Ana Peleteiro-Compaore of Spain is the No. 3 entrant in the Olympics at 14.85 (48-8½) and she is followed by Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine at 14.81 (48-7). Bekh-Romanchuk was the silver medalist in last year’s World Championships in which Perez Hernandez won the bronze. Next up in the order are Liadagmis Povea of Cuba at 14.73 (48-3¾) and Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica at 14.67 (48-1½). Povea placed fifth in the Olympic Games in 2021 and finished sixth in the World Championships last year. The hyper-consistent Ricketts placed fourth in the Olympic Games before finishing second and fourth in the two global title meets since then. The three other entrants to have leaped more that 14.50 (47-6¾) this year are Ilionis Guillaume of France at 14.59 (47-10¼), Tugba Danismaz of Turkey at 14.57 (47-9½), and Akelia Smith of Jamaica at 14.52 (47-7½). Smith won both the triple jump and long jump in the NCAA championships in early June while competing for the University of Texas.