World Champs Men’s High Jump — Kerr Shows Again Kiwis Can Fly

As at the Paris Olympics and ’25 World Indoor, Hamish Kerr heard the crowd roar of fans hailing his victory. (KEVIN MORRIS)

PRIOR TO TOKYO ’25, New Zealand’s World Champs winners were all throwers, but in short order first steepler Geordie Beamish and then high jumper Hamish Kerr changed that anecdote of athletics history.

Unlike Beamish, Kerr’s triumph was not a huge surprise though as he started as the reigning Olympic champion and arrived hot after two big Diamond League wins in the previous month including the DL Final in Zürich.

The big shake out came at 7-7 (2.31). Of the 7 men attempting that height, South Korea’s Sang-hyeok Woo and Czechia’s Jan Štefela cleared on their attempts while Kerr and Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk needed three efforts.

With the bar moving up to 7-8 (2.34), the tension also rose.

None of the quartet could go clear with their first two jumps but then, jumping first, Woo followed by Kerr went nicely clear before Doroshchuk and Štefela failed at what would have been a PR height for both men. Štefela got the bronze on countback just as he did at the ’25 World Indoor when Woo and Kerr took gold and silver respectively.

At a world-leading 7-8¾ (2.36), and with long-time WR-holder Javier Sotomayor looking on, Woo had an unsuccessful first attempt.

Kerr then grabbed his chance to gain the upper hand superbly and went clear to equal the Oceania record he shares. The bar gently vibrated after nudges with his calves.

Woo took his remaining two attempts at 7-9¾ (2.38) but didn’t come close, and Kerr also took one attempt at the height before calling it a day.

“Today I had to fight for the gold,” said the flying Kiwi. “It was not an easy final for me. Many times, I thought I wouldn’t win. But being able to fight and not give up is important. I showed it tonight. It’s not over till it’s over. Geordie and me have won the world indoor titles on the same day. He gave me a kick in my ass after his win last night, so I had to win too.”

The two U.S. men in the final, ’23 WC silver medalist JuVaughn Harrison and Nebraska’s U.S. champion Tyus Wilson, both cleared 7-5¾ (2.28) before being among the three men who went out at 7-7.

Among the jumpers eliminated in the qualifying round were Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi — still beloved for his HJ gold-sharing contest with Mutaz Essa Barshim at the ’21 Olympic Games in Tokyo — and ’24 OG silver medalist Shelby McEwen, who lost the jump-off with Kerr for the title in Paris last summer.

Both cleared 7-3 (2.21) but found what would prove to be the qualifying height of 7-4½ (2.25) beyond them.

MEN’S HIGH JUMP RESULTS

FINAL (September 16)

1. Hamish Kerr (NZ) 7-8¾ (2.36) =NR;

2. Sang-hyeok Woo (SK) 7-8 (2.34);

3. Jan Štefela (CzR) 7-7 (2.31);

4. Oleh Doroshchuk (Ukr) 7-7 (2.31) =PR;

5. JuVaughn Harrison (US) 7-5¾ (2.28);

=6. Sarvesh Anil Kushare (Ind) 7-5¾ (2.28);

=6. Tyus Wilson (US) 7-5¾ (2.28);

=8. Ryoichi Akamatsu (Jpn) 7-4¼ (2.24);

=8. Matteo Sioli (Ita) 7-4¼ (2.24);

10. Yuto Seko (Jpn) 7-2½ (2.20);

=11. Thomas Carmoy (Bel) 7-2½ (2.20);

=11. Yual Reath (Aus) 7-2½ (2.20);

… nh—Romaine Beckford (Jam).

7-2½
7-4¼
7-5¾
7-7
7-8
7-8¾
7-9¾

Woo
o
o
xo
xo
xxo
xp
xx

Kerr
o
o
o
xxo
xxo
o
x

Doroshchuk
o
o
o
xxo
xxx
—
—

Harrison
o
o
o
xxx
—
—
—

Reath
xxo
xxx
—
—
—
—
—

Kushare
o
xo
xxo
xxx
—
—
—

Seko
xo
xxx
—
—
—
—
—

Štefela
o
o
xxo
xo
xxx
—
—

Carmoy
xxo
xxx
—
—
—
—
—

Siolio
xo
xxx
—
—
—
—
—

Beckford
xxx
—
—
—
—
—
—

Akamatsu
o
xo
xxx
—
—
—
—

Wilson
xo
o
xxo
xxx
—
—
—

2.20
2.24
2.28
2.31
2.34
2.36
2.38

QUALIFYING (September 14; auto-qualifier 7-6½/2.30)

Qualifiers: all qualifiers cleared 7-4½/2.25;

Non-Qualifiers: [7-3/2.21]—Chao-Hsuan Fu (Tai), Yonathan Kapitolnik (Isr), Shelby McEwen (US), Dmytro Nikitin (Ukr), Erik Portillo (Mex), Edgar Rivera (Mex), Tomohiro Shinno (Jpn), Donald Thomas (Bah);

[7-1/2.16]—Roman Anastasios (Aus), Juozas Baikštys (Lit), Tihomir Ivanov (Bul), Mateusz Kołodziejski (Pol), Vadym Kravchuk (Ukr), Manuel Lando (Ita), Thiago Julio Moura (Bra), Tobias Potye (Ger), Raymond Richards (Jam), Stefano Sottile (Ita), Brandon Starc (Aus), Gianmarco Tamberi (Ita);

… nh—Brian Raats (SA), Luis Castro (PR).

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