Women High Jump Athletics I World Championship Helsinki, Finland 1983 - Tuesday, 9th August - Gold Medal: Tamara Bykova, Soviet Union
Final
Height
175
180
184
188
192
195
197
199
201
203
1. Tamara Bykova
URS
2.01m
-
O
O
O
O
O
O
XO
O
XXX
2. Ulrike Meyfarth
FRG
1.99m
-
O
O
O
O
O
XO
O
X-
XX
3. Louise Ritter
USA
1.95m
-
O
O
O
XO
XO
XXX
4. Coleen Sommer
USA
1.95m
-
O
O
O
XO
XXO
XXX
5. Kerstin Brandt
GDR
1.92m
-
O
XO
XXO
XO
XXX
6. Debbie Brill
CAN
1.88m
-
O
O
O
XXX
7. Susanne Helm-Beyer
GDR
1.88m
O
O
XO
XO
XXX
8. Olga Juha
HUN
1.88m
-O
9. Vanessa Browne-Ward
AUS
1.88m
-O
10.Silvia Costa
CUB
1.84m
-O
10.Andrea Bienias
GDR
1.84m
-O
12.Maryse Ewanje-Epee-Maury
FRA
1.84m
-O
12.Katalin Sterk
HUN
1.84m
-O
12.Minna Vehmasto
FIN
1.84m
-O
15.Christine Soetewey
BEL
1.84m
-O
16.Wenqin Yang
CHN
1.84m
-O
17.Larisa Kositsyna
URS
1.80m
-O
18.Dazhen Zheng
CHN
1.80m
-O
Bykova and Meyfarth staged a compelling battle for the gold medal. The former (half Russian, half Greek) had a perfect record of first-time clearances at every height up to and including 1.97. Meyfarth – the world record holder – was the only o
ther athlete to go that high, but had recorded one failure at both 1.95 and 1.97. Meanwhile the bronze medal had been won by Ritter, who cleared 1.95 on her second attempt to beat her compatriot Sommer on countback. At 1.99, Bykova faltered for the
first time with a clumsy failure. Meyfarth saw her chance and went over first time to take the lead. Bykova made it on her second try and the bar went up to 2.01. The Soviet jumper went over first time again and regained the lead, as Meyfarth failed.
The West German passed and took her remaining two tries, unsuccessfully, at 2.03. Bykova, now confirmed as the winner, also had three unsuccessful attempts at this world record height.