Cuban High Jumps 7-11 1/2 for World Record

Javier Sotomayor of Cuba broke the world record in the high jump Thursday.

Sotomayor, 22, set the record with a jump of 7 feet 11 1/2 inches, a quarter-inch more than the previous world record, set by Patrick Sjoeberg of Sweden on June 6, 1987, at Stockholm.

Sotomayor made his first jump at 7-10 1/2 and set the mark on his second jump. It was the first outdoor world record set in Spain.

Renaldo Nehemiah of the United States won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.62 seconds, Cuban Leandro Penalver the 100 meters in 10.35, Cuban Roberto Hernandez the 400 meters in 45.19, Venezuela’s William Wuyke the 800 meters in 1:48.44 and Spain’s Jose Luis Gonzalez the 1,500 meters in 3:40.69.

WORLD RECORD PROGRESSION

Mark Name Country Year 7-3 3/4 John Thomas United States 1960 7-3 3/4 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1961 7-4 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1961 7-4 1/2 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1961 7-5 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1961 7-5 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1962 7-5 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1962 7-5 3/4 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1963 7-6 Ni Chin-Chin China 1970 7-6 Pat Matzdorf United States 1971 7-6 Dwight Stones United States 1973 7-7 Dwight Stones United States 1976 7-7 Dwight Stones United States 1977 7-7 3/4 Vladimir Yashchenko USSR 1977 7-8 Vladimir Yashchenko USSR 1978 7-8 1/2 Jacek Wszola Poland 1980 7-8 1/2 Dietmar Mogenburg West Germany 1980 7-8 3/4 Gerd Wessig East Germany 1980 7-9 Zhu Jianhua China 1983 7-9 3/4 Zhu Jianhua China 1983 7-10 Zhu Jianhua China 1984 7-10 1/2 Rodolf Povarnitsin USSR 1985 7-10 3/4 Igor Paklin USSR 1985 7-11 Patrik Sjoberg USSR 1987 7-11i Carlo Thranhardt West Germany 1988 7-11 Javier Sotomayor Cuba 1988

ALL-TIME LIST

Mark Name Country Year 7-11 1/2 Javier Sotomeyor Cuba 1988 7-11i Carlo Thranhardt West Germany 1988 7-11 Patrick Sjoberg Sweden 1987 7-10 3/4 Igor Paklin USSR 1985 7-10 1/2 Rudolf Povarnitsin USSR 1985 7-10 Zhu Jianhua China 1984 7-10i Dietmar Mogenburg West Germany 1985 7-9 3/4i Gennadiy Avdeyenko USSR 1987 7-9 3/4 Sergei Malchenko USSR 1988 7-9 Valeriy Sereda USSR 1984 7-9 Jerome Carter United States 1988 7-9 Sorin Matei Romania 1988 7-9 Thomas McCants United States 1988 7-8 3/4 Gerd Wessig East Germany 1980 7-8 3/4 Sergei Zasimovich USSR 1984 7-8 3/4 Eddy Annys Belgium 1985 7-8 3/4i Jim Howard United States 1986 7-8 3/4i Jan Zvara Czchoslovakia 1987 7-8 1/2i Valdimir Yashchenko USSR 1978 7-8 1/2 Jacek Wszola Poland 1980 7-8 1/2i Alexander Kotovich USSR 1985 7-8 Paul Frommeyer West Germany 1982 7-8 Dwight Stones United States 1984 7-8i Yuriy Sergiyenko USSR 1985 7-8 Dennis Lewis United States 1985 7-8 Doug Nordquist United States 1986 7-8 Robert Ruffini Italy 1988

i--indoor