In a dramatic winner-take-all jump-off, Hamish Kerr of New Zealand secured his nation’s first gold medal in the high jump. Both Kerr and American Shelby McEwen failed to clear the height of 2.38m on all three attempts. Despite the option to share the gold medal, they decided to compete in a jump-off for sole ownership of the title.
During the jump-off, both athletes missed their initial attempts at 2.38m. The bar was then lowered to 2.36m, where they again both failed to clear. When the height was reduced to 2.34m, McEwen missed yet again, while Kerr successfully cleared it to claim the gold medal. McEwen took home the silver. Earlier in the year, both had also won gold and silver at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Qatari athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim earned the bronze medal, marking his fourth Olympic medal in high jump and his ninth overall global championship medal in the event.
Leading up to the competition, the outlook for the podium was uncertain. Tokyo 2020 co-gold medalists Barshim and Italian Gianmarco Tamberi were facing health issues. Tamberi had been in the emergency room shortly before the event, suffering from kidney colic, while Barshim competed with an injured calf in the preliminaries.
Tamberi managed to clear heights of 2.17m and 2.22m but failed at 2.27m, thereby ending his defense of the Olympic title. Six competitors cleared 2.31m, with four of them also clearing 2.34m. At 2.36m, only Barshim, Italian Stefano Sottile, McEwen, and Kerr remained in contention. Ultimately, only McEwen and Kerr cleared this height, with Kerr’s jump setting a new Oceanian record.