Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump

In the qualifying round, nobody needed to take an attempt at the automatic qualifying mark because they were at a tie for the 12th qualifying position at 2.26 metres, with no misses before that height. Because there were two pits going on at the same time, they continued to 2.29 and half the field missed, two heights below the auto-qualifier. All the medalists came from those who made 2.29.

In the final, six athletes did not make it back to the qualifying height, including reigning world champion Jesse Williams and defending champion Andrey Silnov. Derek Drouin, Robert Grabarz and Mutaz Essa Barshim were clean through 2.29 and were in a three-way tie for first place. Erik Kynard cleared the next height at 2.33. Somehow between jumps, Ivan Ukhov had taken off his singlet and it got lost. As time clicked down, he pinned his number to a T-shirt and quickly took his jump at that height. It was successful, to move him into a tie for first place. After the other three had failed, Jamie Nieto made a strategic decision to take an all or nothing jump at 2.36. It was a close attempt, but he missed it.

Nieto finished in 6th, with a three-way tie for the bronze medal. Kynard missed at 2.36, but Ukhov, again in his singlet, cleared. With silver guaranteed, Kynard passed to 2.38 to try to win. He missed but Ukhov again cleared. Kynard again passed to 2.40 to try to win but he missed, keeping the silver, and Ukhov took the gold.

On 1 February 2019, it was announced on that all of Ivan Ukhov's results from 16 July 2012 to 31 December 2015 were being disqualified for doping.{{cite web |title=The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issues decisions in 12 first-instance disciplinary procedures concerning Russian track and field athletes |url=https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Release_IAAF_RUSAF_athletics_cases.pdf |publisher=Court of Arbitration for Sport |accessdate=1 February 2019 |date=1 February 2019}}

This was the 27th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The returning finalists from the 2008 Games were gold medalist Andrey Silnov of Russia, sixth-place finisher Jaroslav Bába of the Czech Republic, and twelfth-place finisher Rožle Prezelj of Slovenia. Dragutin Topić of Serbia was competing in his sixth Games. "This event had no clear favorite." Jesse Williams of the United States was the reigning world champion, but had struggled at the U.S. trials. Silnov had finished second at the Russian trials to Ivan Ukhov.{{cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/302248 |work=Olympedia |title=High Jump, Men |access-date=17 September 2020}}

Ecuador and Saint Lucia each made their debut in the event. The United States made its 26th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

{{main|Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Qualification}}

A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter up to 3 qualified athletes in the men's high jump event if all athletes met the A standard, or 1 athlete if they met the B standard. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The qualifying height standards could be obtained in various meets during the qualifying period that had the approval of the IAAF. Both outdoor and indoor meets were eligible. The A standard for the 2012 men's high jump was 2.31 metres; the B standard was 2.28 metres. The qualifying period for was from 1 May 2011 to 8 July 2012. NOCs could also have an athlete enter the high jump through a universality place. NOCs could enter one male athlete in an athletics event, regardless of height, if they had no male athletes meeting the qualifying A or B standards in any men's athletic event.{{cite web|url= http://www.iaaf.org/mm/document/statistics/standards/05/90/83/20110119112034_httppostedfile_qualificationsystem-athletics-iaaf-21112010_23249.pdf |title=QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXX OLYMPIAD|publisher=IAAF |access-date=14 November 2011}}{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8453553/London-2012-Olympics-Athletics-qualification.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110419050208/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8453553/London-2012-Olympics-Athletics-qualification.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 19 April 2011 |title=Olympic Qualifying Procedures for Athletics |publisher=Telegraph |access-date=5 June 2011 |date=15 April 2011}}{{cite web|url= http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/OLY12/Standards/Standards.aspx |title=Amended Qualifying Standards |publisher=IAAF |access-date=7 December 2011}}

The competition consisted of two rounds, qualification and final. In qualification, each athlete had three attempts at each height and was eliminated if they failed to clear any height. Athletes who successfully jumped the qualifying height moved on the final. If fewer than 12 reached that height, the best 12 moved on. Cleared heights reset for the final, which followed the same three-attempts-per-height format until all athletes reached a height they could not jump.{{cite web|title=Men's High Jump competition format|url=http://www.london2012.com/athletics/event/men-high-jump/competition-format/index.html|publisher=London 2012 Organising Committee|access-date=12 June 2012|archive-date=7 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607042043/http://www.london2012.com/athletics/event/men-high-jump/competition-format/index.html|url-status=dead}}

{{As of|2012|07|09|alt=Prior to the competition}}, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

{{World Olympic Record

| world_athlete = {{flagathlete|Javier Sotomayor|CUB}}

| world_mark = 2.45

| world_place = Salamanca, Spain

| world_date = 27 July 1993

| olympic_athlete = {{flagIOCathlete|Charles Austin|USA|1996 Summer}}

| olympic_mark = 2.39

| olympic_place = Atlanta, United States

| olympic_date = 27 July 1996

}}

No new world or Olympic records were set for this event.

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

{{Olympic high jump key}}

Qual. rule: qualification standard 2.32m (Q) or at least best 12 qualified (q).{{cite web|title=Men's High Jump – Qualification|url=http://www.london2012.com/athletics/event/men-high-jump/phase=atm071900/index.html|publisher=London 2012 Organising Committee|access-date=7 August 2012|archive-date=8 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208193321/www.london2012.com/athletics/event/men-high-jump/phase=atm071900/index.html|url-status=dead}} Only six athletes successfully cleared 2.29 metres, so none took attempts at 2.32 metres in the qualifying round.

{{Reflist}}

{{OlympicsHighJump}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions High Jump Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Men's high jump}}

Category:Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Category:High jump at the Olympics

Category:Men's events at the 2012 Summer Olympics