Fourth attempts at 2.007 were jump-offs. There were no tie-break rules in 1932. Single attempt at 1.99m and last attempts at 1.97m were also Jump-Offs.
World Record: Harold Osborn (USA) 2.03m Urbana, Illinois, United States 27.05.1924
Olympic Record: Harold Osborn (USA) 1.97 Paris, France 07.08.1924
George Spitz was the favourite after clearing higher than than 2m on
five occasions in 1932, all of them indoors. In the US Championships,
he tied with 18 year-old schoolboy Cornelius Johnson, and Bob Van
Osdel, but then injured his ankle. He missed at 1.90 and placed equal
ninth, leaving Toribio as the principal “eastern cut-off” jumper left in
the field. As the bar rose to 2.007 just four men were left – Van Osdel,
Johnson, Toribio and the unheralded Duncan McNaughton, a teammate
of Van Osdel at the University of Southern California.
McNaughton had lobbied the Canadian Olympic Association to
allow him to compete, and only overcame their refusals by nagging
them further when the Canadian team arrived in Los Angeles. None of
the jumpers could clear 2.007 and Van Osdel would have won from
Johnson and McNaughton on today’s rules. However under 1932 rules
a jump-off was required. McNaughton was the first to clear 1.97, after
receiving advice from Van Osdel, and so won the gold, with Van Osdel
and Toribio taking the lesser medals.
United States
Philippines
Finland
Japan
Poland
Canada
France
Norway
Italy
Switzerland
