Men’s High Jump Preview, London 2012

The Olympics is around the corner, so I would like to provide you with a preview highlighting some of the best gravity defying, freak-show athletes in the world.

2012 London Men’s High Jump

Every Olympics we hope for great competition, and the men’s high jump this year is looking to be as fierce as ever.  Through the indoor and outdoor haul thus far we have 7 men who have cleared 2.35 meters or better.  Let’s jump to the favorite competitors this year.

Ivan Ukhov: Ukhov is on another level, yet is still chasing an outdoor world championship.

Season Best: 2.38m

Lifetime Best: 2.40m

One day in Russia, Ivan Ukhov decided to step out of the discus ring and give the high jump a shot. Add in a famous drunken high jump competition in Lausanne in 2008 and now he is a man on Javier Sotomayor’s heels for the world record (he almost set the indoor record two years ago!).  Look for Ivan to be the favorite of this year’s Olympic Games.  Fun fact: Ukhov can do 300lbs in the barbell snatch.

Andrey Silnov:  No high jumper has ever won Olympic gold twice, will Silnov be the first?

Season Best: 2.37m

Lifetime Best: 2.38m

Can Russia go 1-2 in the Olympic games in high jump?  Or 1-2-3?  I would take Silnov just as quickly as I would pick Ukhov to take the gold medal.  They are both phenomenal athletes who are also well coached.  The question of who has the best chance to win is who peaks at the right time this year.  Ukhov has had many great indoor seasons followed by poor outdoor campaigns, and Silnov has shown he had what it took to peak at the right time last Olympic games.

Season Best: 2.37m(i)

Lifetime Best: 2.37m

Mutaz Barshim is a pure talent in the world of high jumping.  This man is certainly capable of 2.40m when he reaches the Olympic games.  His technique has really come around in the last couple of years as he now has an excellent coach.  As he puts more strength and power into his lean frame, he will continue to hit higher and higher bars.

Jesse Williams: The 2011 World Champion seeks an even bigger title.

Season Best:2.36m

Lifetime Best: 2.37m

Jesse Williams is the number one jumper from the USA, although he barely managed to sneak into London based on his 4th place finish in the USA Olympic Trials.  At the trials, he was beaten by relatively unknown Nick Ross, but with a season PR of only 2.28m, Ross was short of the “A” standard, and Williams was allowed to go under the USA system.  I am positive that Williams is dead set on making up for his sub-par trials performance, and is ready to back up his world championship performance of a year ago in London.

Robbie Grabarz: Can the energy of London carry Grabarz to Olympic  gold?

Season Best: 2.36m

Lifetime Best: 2.36m

Robbie Grabarz has exploded onto the scene of the world’s best high jumpers this year by taking his  personal best from 2.28m to 2.36m in the course of a season.  British high jumpers have been no slouches come championship time as well, as just last  Olympics, as Germaine Mason lept to a 2.34m personal best to take the silver medal.  Two other jumpers, Parsons and Bernard also managed to make the final, putting three British jumpers in medal contention.  Take that into account with the electricity of the home crowd support and Robbie Grabarz is a sure contender to take home some hardware.

Aleksandr Shustov:  You know your country is good at high jump when you jump 2.35 and barely make it to the Olympics.

Season Best: 2.35m

Lifetime Best: 2.36m

Shustov is yet another talented Russian jumper and has jumped over 2.30m every year since 2007.  It  would be a safe bet that Shustov wants to improve on his 8th place 2.29m performance at world’s last  year.

Erik Kynard: At 21 years of age, Kynard is an immense talent for USA high jumping.

Season Best: 2.34m

Lifetime Best: 2.34m

Another student  in the Cliff Rovelto school of high jump, Erik Kynard makes his way to his first Olympic games.  Kynard is a perfect build for the event of high jump, and is as talented as anyone in this year’s field.  How will he handle the pressure of his first Olympics?

Trevor Barry: From a modest beginning to international high jump stardom.

Season Best: 2.31m

Lifetime Best: 2.32m

I include Trevor in here because I competed against him at the NAIA national meets and was a witness to how much of a freak athlete he was.  This guy just has some speed and bounce, as he was long jumping near 8 meters in his college years at Dickinson State in North Dakota.  He also ran solid legs on their championship 4x400m teams.  Now that he has gotten some solid high jump coaching in his system, he has sprung onto the world scene.  Look for him to do some damage in London.

And let’s not forget the elders of this competition.

Jamie Nieto: 2.31m at age 35 and first in the USA trials!  Let’s go!.

Dragutin Topic: 2.28m at age 41?  Are you kidding me?  He has hit the “B”  standard.  How would you feel if a guy twice your age beat you in the Olympic high jump?  Yeah, me too….

Any comments and opinions?  Let me know?  Who do you think will take the gold home this year?