Men High Jump Athletics VI World Championship 1997 Athens (GRE) - Wednesday 06.08 - Gold Medal: Javier Sotomayor, Cuba
Final 18:10
Height
220
225
229
232
235
237
239
1. Javier Sotomayor
CUB
2.37m
-
XO
-
O
O
XO
-
2. Artur Partyka
POL
2.35m
O
-
O
-
XO
XX-
X
3. Tim Forsyth
AUS
2.35m
O
-
XO
O
XO
X-
XX
4. Steinar Hoen
NOR
2.32m
-
O
O
O
XX-
X
4. Dalton Grant
GBR
2.32m
-
-
-
O
XXX
6. Lambros Papakostas
GRE
2.32m
-
O
O
XO
XX-
X
7. Konstantin Matusevich
ISR
2.29m
O
O
O
XXX
8. Jin-Taek Lee
KOR
2.29m
XO
O
O
XXX
9. Martin Buss
GER
2.29m
XXO
O
O
XXX
10.Gilmar Mayo
COL
2.29m
O
O
XO
XXX
11.Sergey Klyugin
RUS
2.29m
XO
XO
XXO
ret
12.Jan Janku
CZE
2.25m
O
O
XXX
Happily recovered from the injuries which had led to the loss of his Olympic crown the previous year, Sotomayor further enhanced his claims to being considered the greatest of all high jumpers by regaining this title. Five men were still left in as the bar was raised to 2.37 but the Cuban was the only one successful. Another remarkable big time competitor, Partyka medalled for the third consecutive time, taking silver on countback against Forsyth.
Grant, ever the showman, came in at the greatest starting height ever attempted (2.32), daring indeed for a man who hadn’t gone higher than 2.28 all season. His gamble appeared to be paying off when his first time clearance took him into the lead, but the next height of 2.35 eluded him and he had to settle for equal fourth place with European champion Hoen.