high jump
The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...
. The competition was held from Sunday 15 to Tuesday 17 August 1920. 22 high jumpers from nine nations competed. No nation had more than 4 jumpers, suggesting the limit had been reduced from the 12 maximum in force in 1908 and 1912. The event was won by
Richmond Landon
Richmond Wilcox "Dick" Landon (November 20, 1898 – June 13, 1971) was an American high jumper who won a gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
of the United States, the nation's sixth consecutive victory in the men's high jump. The American team also took silver, with
Harold Muller
Harold Powers "Brick" Muller (June 12, 1901 – May 17, 1962) was a professional football player-coach for the Los Angeles Buccaneers during their only season in the National Football League in 1926. He was also an American track and fiel ...
finishing second. Sweden won its first medal in the event with
Bo Ekelund
Bo Daniel Ekelund (26 July 1894 – 1 April 1983) was a Sweden, Swedish high jumper who won a bronze medal at the Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics, 1920 Summer Olympics. Ekelund was a top Scandinavian high jumper in the late 1910s. He won t ...
's bronze.
Background
This was the sixth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning finalists from the 1912 Games were ninth-place finisher Timothy Carroll and eleventh-place finisher
Benjamin Howard Baker
Benjamin Howard Baker (13 February 1892 – 10 September 1987) was an English athlete who excelled in a wide range of sports, mostly in association football and high jump.John Murphy had won the U.S. trials, with
Richmond Landon
Richmond Wilcox "Dick" Landon (November 20, 1898 – June 13, 1971) was an American high jumper who won a gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
second and
Harold Muller
Harold Powers "Brick" Muller (June 12, 1901 – May 17, 1962) was a professional football player-coach for the Los Angeles Buccaneers during their only season in the National Football League in 1926. He was also an American track and fiel ...
third.
Czechoslovakia, Greece, and Luxembourg each made their debut in the event. The United States appeared for the sixth time, having competed at each edition of the Olympic men's high jump to that point.
Competition format
The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1912. There were two distinct rounds of jumping with results cleared between rounds. All jumpers clearing 1.80 metres in the qualifying round advanced to the final. There were jump-offs in the final to resolve ties.
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Richmond Landon
Richmond Wilcox "Dick" Landon (November 20, 1898 – June 13, 1971) was an American high jumper who won a gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
set a new Olympic record with 1.936 metres.
Schedule
Results
Qualifying
High jumpers clearing 1.80 metres advanced to the final.
Final
In a jump-off for silver, Muller beat Ekelund 1.88 metres to 1.85 metres. In a jump-off for fourth and fifth place, Whalen prevailed over Murphy though both jumped 1.89 metres.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics At The 1920 Summer Olympics - Men's High Jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...