It was the fourth and final appearance of the event.
Ray Ewry, who was the three-time defending champion in the event, did not compete in 1912. The silver medalist from 1908, Konstantinos Tsiklitiras, took bronze. Platt Adams, the fifth-place finisher four years earlier, won the event. Benjamin Adams finished second. Each of the three standing high jump medalists also medaled in the standing long jump, though in a different order.