What the he. ck happened to high jumpers? Did they decide they didn't want to jump high any longer?

113 wrote:

Given that the records have not progressed in the high jump, long jump, or triple jump, I have to wonder if there are some thresholds beyond which people just aren't going to be able to throw themselves into/through the air, regardless of drugs, shoe technology, etc. You just don't see athletes, men or women, come close to record marks in any of these events, which is not the case in any other discipline.

This^^^

Eventually, records reach the limits of genetics and training. Look at horse racing records. Most are quite old.

So for some events, you just naturally reach those limits quicker. This is especially true if you can throw out PEDs and technological advances.

Sally Vix wrote:

coach wrote:

Sotomayor supposedly did 1 legged squats with 400 pounds right before a meet.

After doing her 1-legged squats with 400 pounds she would consult with her supreme court clerk assistants and then decide how to deal with the Clarence Thomases, the David Souters, and the other Supreme court justices.

She wouldn't have had any problems dealing with David Souter.

As for Javier Sotomayor, he retired shortly before receiving a lifetime ban after a second drug bust, this time for the anabolic steroid nandrolone. Although I've been very doubtful about a number of nandrolone cases, this really wasn't one of them.

I was hoping that Barshim would be the one to break Sotomayor's record, but I haven't seen significant improvement from him in quite a while.

In any case, the high jump doesn't seem to have attracted the greatest talents during the last couple of decades, and I see little reason for that to change any time soon. And contrary to what many here seem to think, humans don't simply "evolve" over such a short time, especially for something as unrewarding as high-jumping ability without decent basketball skills. Top high-jumpers like Dick Fosbury, Dwight Stones, and Javier Sotomayor were famous among the general public during a period in which high-jumping competition was revolutionized; I suspect that any big breakthrough now won't be the result of a superior pool of genetic freaks in the event, but rather will be the result of technological changes allowed by governing bodies that are trying to revive the sport's popularity.

stephen santiagoog wrote:

Kvothe wrote:

8 feet is really hecking good. Furthermore, we don't know that communist bloc athletes were actually clean (probs not). No one in the ncaa jumped over 7-6 this year. So if guys on the cusp of going pro consider 7-3 to 7-4 really good, 8 feet is otherworldly. Its like the doped chinese women's times before whatever designer ped many east africans are using today was available.

Andra Mason jumped 7' 7" in high school 20 years ago. What the heck has happened to elite high jumpers?

They’re simply playing other sports.

Bettingfool wrote:

High school boys volleyball being in the spring is not helping

Hahaha lmao. I get if that vb players jump high but Jesus that’s the first thing, let alone sport, you come up with? Lol.

It's all about speed and natural explosive athletic ability. Very easy to tell at early age who the gifted jumpers are. I thought Barshim had a chance and likewise Lavitskene. Neither quite got there during their prime.

Also, this is a limited opportunity. Only a few years. Dwight Stones always emphasizes that high jumping is for the young. Once the freakish jumper gets beyond 25 or 26 years old Stones matter of factly announces their opportunity for a world record is gone. I've long been convinced that he is correct. It's like women's distance swimming in which nobody above 19 years old has broken the world record at 800 meters in something like 75 years. If you go back and look at the high jump world record holders beginning about 60 years ago or more, the vast majority broke the record when they were either early 20s and some were late teens. Only a few exceptions. I believe one guy was 30ish. Sotomayor was 25 when he set the existing world record.

Stones should know. He broke the world record for the first time while still 19 years old, then he lost the 1976 Olympic final in the rain to 19 year old Jacek Wszola of Poland. That was a big upset but hardly a fluke. Wszola later broke the world record and won silver in 1980.

This was a really depressing post to read. I disagree with a lot of it as well. At some point there will be a genetic freak that does the event. It’s inevitable. Hell Harrison could easily fit that description if he develops well.

The basketball comment shows some naivety regarding the event given the lack of translation between bball ups and HJ ups.

I also don’t see technology changes impacting the HJ in the way you describe. It is too niche of an event for a technology arms race to be worthwhile but I guess you never know.