# Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump
The men's high jump at the 2024 Summer Olympics was an athletics competition held at the [Stade de France](https://www.edgepedia.org/stade-de-france) in Paris from 7 to 10 August 2024, in which New Zealand's Hamish Kerr won gold with a clearance of 2.36 meters after a jump-off against the United States' Shelby McEwen.[1](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result) • [2](https://olympics.fandom.com/wiki/Athletics_2024/Men%27s_high_jump) The final, staged on the evening of 10 August, produced a first-place tie that the two leaders chose to settle by jumping rather than by sharing the medal, in contrast to the same event at Tokyo 2020.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/10/hamish-kerr-wins-dramatic-high-jump-gold-after-sudden-death-round) • [4](https://www.olympedia.org/results/2013639)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Venue and dates | Stade de France, Paris; competition 7–10 August 2024, final 10 August at 19:00[2](https://olympics.fandom.com/wiki/Athletics_2024/Men%27s_high_jump) • [5](https://worldathletics.org/es/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-athletics-7153115/results/men/high-jump/final/startlist) |
| Gold | Hamish Kerr (NZL), 2.36 m, equalling the Oceanian (area) record[1](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result) |
| Silver | Shelby McEwen (USA), 2.36 m, a personal best[1](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result) |
| Bronze | Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT), 2.34 m, a season best[1](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result) |
| Deciding method | Jump-off after Kerr and McEwen both failed three attempts at 2.38 m[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/10/hamish-kerr-wins-dramatic-high-jump-gold-after-sudden-death-round) |
| Historical note | New Zealand's first Olympic medal in the men's high jump[6](https://worldathletics.org/news/series/2024-review-jumps) |
| Standing records | World record 2.45 m (Javier Sotomayor, Salamanca, 27 July 1993); Olympic record 2.39 m (Charles Austin, Atlanta, 28 July 1996)[7](https://worldathletics.org/download/competition?filename=AT-HJ-M-f----.SL2.pdf&path=%5Cpdf%5C7132391%5C&updatedOn=07%2F30%2F2021+03%3A35%3A27&urlslug=Official+Startlist) |
## Final
Twelve athletes started the final. The start list included the two Tokyo 2020 co-champions, Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar (personal best 2.43 m) and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy (2.39 m), alongside Kerr and McEwen, who entered ranked first and sixth in the [World Athletics](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-athletics) rankings respectively.[5](https://worldathletics.org/es/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-athletics-7153115/results/men/high-jump/final/startlist)
Barshim controlled the early heights. According to the Olympedia report, he led through 2.34 m, clearing that height cleanly, while Kerr and McEwen also cleared 2.34 m but each carried two misses at that point in the competition.[4](https://www.olympedia.org/results/2013639) When the bar went to 2.38 m, neither Kerr nor McEwen could clear it in three attempts, leaving the two tied in first place on 2.36 m; Barshim and Stefano Sottile of Italy finished on 2.34 m, in third and fourth place.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/10/hamish-kerr-wins-dramatic-high-jump-gold-after-sudden-death-round) • [1](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result)
The final standings were:[1](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result)
| Place | Athlete | Country | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamish Kerr | NZL | 2.36 =AR |
| 2 | Shelby McEwen | USA | 2.36 PB |
| 3 | Mutaz Essa Barshim | QAT | 2.34 SB |
| 4 | Stefano Sottile | ITA | 2.34 PB |
| 5 | Ryoichi Akamatsu | JPN | 2.31 PB |
| 6 | Oleh Doroshchuk | UKR | 2.31 PB |
| 7 | Sanghyeok Woo | KOR | 2.27 |
| 8 | Tihomir Ivanov | BUL | 2.27 SB |
| 9 | Jan Štefela | CZE | 2.22 |
| 10 | Romaine Beckford | JAM | 2.22 |
| 11 | Gianmarco Tamberi | ITA | 2.22 |
| 12 | Brian Raats | RSA | 2.17 |
## The jump-off
Under World Athletics rules, a tie for first place is decided by a jump-off unless the athletes concerned agree to share the position; the jump-off begins at the next higher height after the last height cleared, with each jumper taking one attempt and the bar lowered or raised until only one jumper succeeds at a height.[8](https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/jumps/high-jump) Kerr and McEwen declined to share the gold and went to the jump-off, which The Guardian described as a sudden-death round.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/10/hamish-kerr-wins-dramatic-high-jump-gold-after-sudden-death-round)
The decision attracted attention because of the Tokyo 2020 precedent. At those Games, Barshim and Tamberi had ended in a gold medal tie when both elected not to jump off for the top two medals.[4](https://www.olympedia.org/results/2013639) The contest had also run long enough that the jump-off attempts were fitted in between laps of the men's 4 × 400 m relay, the penultimate track event of the session.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/10/hamish-kerr-wins-dramatic-high-jump-gold-after-sudden-death-round)
## Background and favorites
Thirty-one athletes qualified for the event, with Barshim and Tamberi named as the top favorites after sharing the gold at the previous Olympic Games.[2](https://olympics.fandom.com/wiki/Athletics_2024/Men%27s_high_jump) Both returned for Paris: Barshim had been the dominant jumper of the preceding decade, while Tamberi had struggled with injuries since Tokyo.[4](https://www.olympedia.org/results/2013639) Barshim finished on the podium in Paris with a jump of 2.34 m; Tamberi placed eleventh with 2.22 m.[1](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result) • [9](https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/results/men/high-jump/final/result)
Kerr's winning height equalled his own Oceanian record and earned New Zealand its first [Olympic medal](https://www.edgepedia.org/olympic-medal) in the men's high jump in the event's history.[6](https://worldathletics.org/news/series/2024-review-jumps) The winning mark of 2.36 m remained well below the world record of 2.45 m, set by Cuba's Javier Sotomayor in [Salamanca](https://www.edgepedia.org/salamanca) on 27 July 1993, and below the Olympic record of 2.39 m, set by [Charles Austin](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-austin) at Atlanta 1996.[7](https://worldathletics.org/download/competition?filename=AT-HJ-M-f----.SL2.pdf&path=%5Cpdf%5C7132391%5C&updatedOn=07%2F30%2F2021+03%3A35%3A27&urlslug=Official+Startlist)
## References
1. [High Jump men, Final result, The XXXIII Olympic Games, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2024/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/men/high-jump/final/result)
2. [Athletics 2024/Men's high jump, Olympics Wiki (Fandom)](https://olympics.fandom.com/wiki/Athletics_2024/Men%27s_high_jump)
3. [Hamish Kerr wins dramatic high jump gold after sudden death round, The Guardian (10 August 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/10/hamish-kerr-wins-dramatic-high-jump-gold-after-sudden-death-round)
4. [Olympedia – High Jump, Men (Paris 2024)](https://www.olympedia.org/results/2013639)
5. [FINAL, High Jump men, Startlist, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/es/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-athletics-7153115/results/men/high-jump/final/startlist)
6. [2024 review: jumps, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/news/series/2024-review-jumps)
7. [Men's High Jump official startlist PDF with records, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/download/competition?filename=AT-HJ-M-f----.SL2.pdf&path=%5Cpdf%5C7132391%5C&updatedOn=07%2F30%2F2021+03%3A35%3A27&urlslug=Official+Startlist)
8. [High Jump discipline page, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/jumps/high-jump)
9. [FINAL, High Jump, Results, Paris 24, Olympic Games](https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxiii-olympic-games-7153115/results/men/high-jump/final/result)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Major athletics competitions and results*
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