The men's high jump, also known as the ''running high jump'' to distinguish it from the

standing high jump The standing high jump is an athletics event that was featured in the Olympics from 1900 to 1912. It is performed in the same way as high jump, with the difference being that the athlete has no run-up and must stand still and jump with both feet t ...

, was a

track and field athletics Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

event held as part of the

Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics These are the results of athletics (sport), athletics competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics. 30 events were contested, all for men only. The athletics programme grew by four events since the 1908 Summer Olympics. The 5000 and 10000 metre rac ...

programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The competition was held on July 7, 1912, and on July 8, 1912. Thirty-seven high jumpers from ten nations competed.Per Wudarski. Other sources omit Tage Brauer, for 36 athletes. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.Official report, p. 61. The event was won by

Alma Richards Alma Wilford Richards (February 20, 1890 – April 3, 1963) was an American athlete. He was the first resident of Utah to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, in 1912, in the running high jump event. Biography Richards graduated from Brigham ...

of the United States, the nation's fifth consecutive victory in the men's high jump. Germany won its second silver medal in the event, after 1904.

Background

This was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning jumpers from the 1908 Games were silver medalist

Géo André Georges Yvan "Géo" André (13 August 1889 – 4 May 1943) was a French track and field athlete and rugby union player. Biography As an athlete, he competed in the 1908, 1912, 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics in various events, including long j ...

of France and

Otto Monsen Otto Monsen (August 19, 1887 – December 14, 1979) was a Norwegian track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ...

of Norway, who had refused to participate in a re-jump after a successful protest and therefore had no mark in 1908. The Americans were favored, with recent world record breaker

George Horine George Leslie Horine (February 3, 1890 – November 28, 1948) was an American athlete who mainly competed in the high jump. He is credited with developing a technique called a forerunner to the western roll, a technique he developed due to the ...

atop a strong (and, as allowed at the time, ''large'') team. Egon Erickson and

were also strong contenders; the three men had each won one of the three regional Olympic trials.

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

was among the Americans; he won the pentathlon (which did not include a high jump) on the same day as the qualifying round and the decathlon (which did) a week later. Chile and Italy each made their debut in the event. The United States appeared for the fifth time, having competed at each edition of the Olympic men's high jump to that point.

Competition format

For the first time, there were two distinct rounds of jumping with results cleared between rounds (the 1908 Games had featured a two-round event but the results from the qualifying round then carried over to the final). All jumpers clearing 1.83 metres in the qualifying round advanced to the final.Official Report, p. 392.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics. At first Hans Liesche set a new Olympic record with 1.91 metres. But

was able to equalize this mark, when he also jumped 1.91 metres. Finally

set a new Olympic record with 1.93 metres.

Schedule

Results

Qualifying

Brauer is listed in some sources as having competed and having cleared 1.60 metres (which would put him in the tie for 28th), but other sources make clear he did not start.

Final

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's High Jump Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics High jump at the Olympics