Women High Jump Athletics II World Championship Rome, Italy 1987 - Sunday, 30th August - Gold Medal: Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgaria
Final
Height
Y
180
185
189
193
196
199
202
204
206
208
209
1. Stefka Kostadinova
Bulgaria
2.09m
WR
22
-
O
O
O
O
O
O
XXO
XO
-
XO
2. Tamara Bykova
Soviet Union
2.04m
28
-
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
XX-
X
3. Susanne Helm-Beyer
East Germany
1.99m
26
-
O
O
O
O
XO
XXX
4. Silvia Costa
Cuba
1.96m
23
-
O
O
O
O
XX-
X
5. Larisa Kositsyna
Soviet Union
1.96m
PB
23
-
O
O
XXO
O
XXX
6. Heike Redetzky-Henkel
West Germany
1.96m
PB
23
-
O
O
O
XO
XXX
7. Svetlana Isaeva-Leseva
Bulgaria
1.93m
20
-
O
O
O
XXX
8. Louise Ritter
United States
1.93m
29
-
O
XO
O
XXX
8. Lyudmila Avdeyenko
Soviet Union
1.93m
23
-
XO
O
O
XXX
10.Madely Beaugendre
France
1.93m
PB
21
O
O
O
XO
XXX
11.Coleen Sommer
United States
1.90m
27
-
O
XO
X
12.Lyudmila Andonova
Bulgaria
1.85m
27
O
O
XXX
World Record: Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgaria 2.08m Sofia, Bulgaria 31st May 1986
Championship Record: Tamara Bykova, Soviet Union 2.01m Helsinki, Finland 9th August 1983
Like in Helsinki four years earlier, Tamara Bykova was involved in a terrific contest for the gold medal. This time her opponent was Stefka Kostadinova, the world record holder at 2.08. These two dominated the final in which they were the first two to jump. At 1.99 the medallists were clear. Bykova and Kostadinova continued their record of first-time clearances. The only other woman to make 1.99 was Beyer, on her second attempt. She went out at 2.02. The leading two each succeeded first time.
It was the first time two women had cleared that high in the same meeting. At 2.04, Bykova went clear again but Kostadinova failed twice. She made it, easily, on her third try. The next height, 2.06, saw Bykova fail for the first time. The Bulgarian
followed with a miss. Bykova failed a second time, before Kostadinova produced a successful clearance to take the lead. The Soviet jumper now needed to go higher with her last try to win. Amid the excitement of Ben Johnson’s sprint win, she went for 2.08 and failed. The triumphant Kostadinova then had the bar raised to 2.09 which she cleared on her second try. Just 10 minutes after the infamous 9.83 100m, Rome had seen its second world record.