Blanka Vlasic has been the reference of the women's high jump event ever since she won her first senior gold medal of note at 2007 Osaka World Championships. She is the current World and European titleholder and besides she can claim such astounding statistics as a record 34 competitions winning streak and about one hundred jumps over 2 meters . She has cleared the historical barrier almost in every contest she has participated in the last four years, feat only comparable with world record holder Stefka Kostadinova’s performances in the eighties and the nineties. Indeed, Vlasic is the overwhelming favourite to win at London Olympic Games the only title she still does not have. Yet, lately things seem easier than they used to be.
Sara Simeoni was the first woman who was beaten in a major championship (at 1984 Olympic Games by Ulrike Meyfarth), despite clearing2 meters . Blanka Vlasic, precisely, was (at 2006 European Championships) the first one left out of the medals in the same situation, but not the late: no less than five jumpers went over 2 meters in Osaka
 |
| Mariya Kuchina, the inaugural High Jump Youth Olympic champion. Photo: Aleksandr Mantsevich http://www.mancevich.ru/ |
Sara Simeoni was the first woman who was beaten in a major championship (at 1984 Olympic Games by Ulrike Meyfarth), despite clearing
 |
| Svetlana Shkolina, one of the biggest hopes of the new generation of Russian jumpers. Photo: Lukk2008 http://www.flickr.com/ |
Some of the top names of the discipline as Kajsa Bergqvist, Vita Palamar, Amy Acuff or current Olympic champion, Tia Hellebaut, had retired. Others are struggling with injuries as Yelena Slesarenko, whose return to top form seems every time more unlikely, or Ariane Friederich, who will not be back until next year, after her Achilles tendon operation. Anna Chicherova, finally, is out for maternity leave.
Among the athletes right now on the field, American Chaunté Lowe is the only one who seems to have the capacity to upset Vlasic in a major final, after her strong comeback , improving the 20 year-old Louise Ritter's national record. Besides, there are discouraging symptoms about the lack of relay in the discipline: Only two of the finalists in the 2009 World championships, Svetlana Shkolina and Meike Kröger were younger than 25 years. More recently, the recent European indoors results were lacklustre, as all the winter season was. Still more if we consider the gold and silver medallist of the championships age: although their performances are yet respectable, we can not forget Di Martino will be34 in the Olympics and Beitia 33. Vita Styopina or Venelina Veneva are even older.
Among the athletes right now on the field, American Chaunté Lowe is the only one who seems to have the capacity to upset Vlasic in a major final, after her strong comeback , improving the 20 year-old Louise Ritter's national record. Besides, there are discouraging symptoms about the lack of relay in the discipline: Only two of the finalists in the 2009 World championships, Svetlana Shkolina and Meike Kröger were younger than 25 years. More recently, the recent European indoors results were lacklustre, as all the winter season was. Still more if we consider the gold and silver medallist of the championships age: although their performances are yet respectable, we can not forget Di Martino will be
Blanka Vlasic, winner of back-to-back world junior titles in 2000 and 2002, was the flag bearer of an extremely talented generation. As an indication, she was present, along with Chicherova and Slesarenko, at the 2001 European junior championship, where no less than seven jumpers cleared 1.88 or higher. The latter, became Olympic champion in Athens Osaka
Amazingly, most of the successive junior hopes of the following years have not lived up to the expectations, once arrived to senior competition. First of all, Ukrainian Iryna Kovalenko, world youth champion in 2003 and junior in 2004 with an excellent 1.93, was supposed to take over from the likes of Styopina, Palamar or Mikhalchenko, but she has not progressed over her teen records. Two other classic countries in high jumping as Germany and Russia
On the other hand, Natalya Mamlina and Alexandra Shamsutdinova, current European junior and under-23 champions respectively, are nowhere to be seen. In a country with such tradition of high jumping as Russia is, absentees apart, only two athletes could claim a place for last year's European Championships: Svetlana Shkolina and Iryna Gordeyeva. They have both reached 2 metres, but their results when it matters most can not be compared yet to Slesarenko's or Chicherova's. (1)
 |
| 2010 Asiad high jump medallists. From L to R: Nadia Dusanova, Svetlana Radzivil, Anna Ustinova and Zheng Xinjuan. Photo: Getty Images http://oneclick.indiatimes.com/ |
On the other hand, Natalya Mamlina and Alexandra Shamsutdinova, current European junior and under-23 champions respectively, are nowhere to be seen. In a country with such tradition of high jumping as Russia is, absentees apart, only two athletes could claim a place for last year's European Championships: Svetlana Shkolina and Iryna Gordeyeva. They have both reached 2 metres, but their results when it matters most can not be compared yet to Slesarenko's or Chicherova's. (1)
After Hestrie Cloete's retirement, there were some hope Anika Smit could continue her exploits. However, after winning the Commonwealth Games in 2006, she is having difficulties now to do 1.90. Nigerian Doreen Amata is not close either to her promising 2008 performances.
1.95 in 2008, but she missed most of 2010 season. Dusanova, as Zheng did, qualified for Doha
Central America is also trying to achieve big things soon, after almost 20 years of no significative succes. Saint Lucia's Levern Spencer, now 26, is in her best moment ever. With seven jumps over 1.94 or higher to her credit during last season, including an extraordinary 1.98 national record, she should feel able of shining in something more than domestic contests. Spencer won the last editions of Central American and Caribbean Games and Championships, but was beating in the Commonwealth by veteran Canadian Nicole Forrester and Jamaican Sheree Francis, another rising athlete in the area. Watch out also for youngster Lesyanís Mayor of Cuba
 |
| The 2010 Commonwealth Games podium. From L to R: Levern Spencer, Nicole Forrester and Sheree Francis. Photo: Michael Steele/ Getty Images AsiaPac http://www.zimbio.com/ |
Nevertheless, the Asian high jumpers who won no less than three medals at Beijing 2006 World juniors have steadily improved. Zheng Xingjuan, who had already jumped 1.92 as a sixteen year-old in 2005, made at last her breakthrough four years afterwards, flying to 1.95 on occasion of the National Games and reaching the final of Doha’s world indoors the following winter. The young Central Asian jumpers from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, who started to be known internationally because of their “collective” and highly doubtful 1.98 Area Record in the Olympic year (broken in 2009 by the more experienced Marina Aitova), have found lately some confidence and consistency, as well.
Yekaterina Yevseyeva was the first of them in making an impact, clearing a valid
 |
| Alessia Trost, the 2009 world youth champion http://www.fidal.it/ |
 |
| Elena Vallortigara, the new Italian junior record holder. http://www.atleticaweek.it/ |
Fortunately for the future of the event, the young high jumpers who participated in the global contests of Bressanone,
However, the country with highest expectations about its teenage jumpers is not Russia but Italy 2 metres , 29 years after Sara Simeoni’s world record. Yet, a nation who had endured an almost three decades drought in a favourite event, might have four elite representatives soon. Di Martino seems stronger than ever after beating her own indoor record and winning her first international title in Paris Singapore
However, the deepest field among the new generations seems to come now not from Central and
 |
Danielle Frenkel of Israel, from dancer to future high jump star. Photo: Getty Images |
Vallortigara shared Moncton Montenegro
 |
| Marija Vukovic, the current world junior champion. Photo: Getty Images/ http://www.iaaf.org/ |
We have said before 2011 winter season was a lacklustre one. Indeed it was: before the Indoor Championships only six women had jumped more than 1.92 and, in Paris 1.92 in Paris, where it mattered, trying to make the final, achieving new PBs. (Ebba Jungmark, Danielle Frenkel, Oksana Okuneva, Grete Udras and Tonje Angelsen). Jungmark and Frenkel big breakthroughs in the European indoors could be noted as importants for the future of the event as the 1.97 world junior best, achieved by Kuchina a couple of weeks before.
Ebba Jungmark made inParis
Danielle Frenkel case is an amazing and intriguing one. (4) The Israeli new sensation, wanted to become a professional dancer but, after many efforts, her coach convinced her to practice high jumping in full time. He must spotted true talent in her. For instance, in her first serious year in athletics, she already reached the final inBarcelona Paris
Oksana Okuneva was the third girl inParis Ukraine Romania Croatia
Ebba Jungmark made in
Danielle Frenkel case is an amazing and intriguing one. (4) The Israeli new sensation, wanted to become a professional dancer but, after many efforts, her coach convinced her to practice high jumping in full time. He must spotted true talent in her. For instance, in her first serious year in athletics, she already reached the final in
 |
| Grete Udras, one of the best high jumpers from Baltic Sea. Photo: Getty Images http://www.daylife.com/photo/0fml1bbahU34A?__site=daylife&q=Estonia |
Oksana Okuneva was the third girl in
The United States have many new names too for the years to come. Their main hope, Destinee Hooker, the NCAA record holder, was lost to volleyball, but they now expect a lot from some other new findings. Interestingly, the last two NCAA indoor champions, Liz Patterson and Brigetta Barrett, belong both to the same Arizona University
Therefore we are living a transitional phase in the history of high jumping, which follows some of the best years ever in the discipline. Although the standards have gone down, many encouraging performances among the rising athletes suggest we just need to wait a couple of seasons, so they can close the gap with the current top jumpers, and be ready to bring a new golden era for the event.
 |
| Ebba Jungmark, the new hope of Swedish high jumping. http://sverigesradio.se/ |
