World High Jump Record Bettered : USSR’s Povarnitsin Tops Zhu’s Mark With Leap of 7-10 1/2

MOSCOW — Soviet high jumper Rudolf Povarnitsin set a world high jump record of 7 feet 10 1/2 inches Sunday, according to the Soviet news agency Tass.

The old world record of 7-10 was established by China’s Zhu Jianhua in West Germany in June, 1984.

The official news agency said Povarnitsin, a 23-year-old from Kiev, set the new mark in the semifinals of the Soviet National Cup held in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk.

Povarnitsin improved his previous best of 7-5 set earlier this year. In 1983 he had a best of 7-3, and last year his best was 7-3 indoors.

The emergence of Povarnitsin as a world record holder in the high jump is very similar to that of Vladimir Yashchenko of the USSR.

In 1977, as a virtually unknown 17-year-old, Yashchenko won the U.S.-USSR junior dual meet in Richmond, Va., with a world record of 7-7 3/4. Yashchenko’s previous best had been 7-3.

THE MEN’S HIGH JUMP

ALL-TIME LIST

Mark Name Country Year 7-10 1/2 Rudolf Povarnitsin USSR 1985 7-10 Zhu Jianhua China 1984 7-9 3/4 Patrick Sjoberg Sweden 1985 7-9 Valeri Sereda USSR 1984 7-8 3/4 Gerd Wessig East Germany 1980 7-8 3/4 Carlo Thranhardt West Germany 1984 7-8 3/4 Dietmar Mogenburg West Germany 1984 7-8 3/4 Sergei Sossimovich USSR 1984 7-8 3/4 Igor Paklin USSR 1984 7-8 3/4 Eddy Annys Belgium 1985 7-8 1/2 Jacek Wszola Poland 1980 7-8 1/2 Jim Howard United States 1985 7-8 Vladimir Jashchenko USSR 1978 7-8 Paul Frommeyer West Germany 1982 7-8 Sorin Matei Romania 1984 7-8 Dwight Stones United States 1984 7-8 Javier Sotomeyor Cuba 1985 7-8 Dennis Lewis United States 1985 7-7 3/4 Aleksey Demyanyuk USSR 1981 7-7 3/4 Tyke Peacock United States 1983 7-7 3/4 Vladimir Grenyenkov USSR 1984 7-7 3/4 Aleksander Kotovich USSR 1984 7-7 3/4 Gennadiy Avdeyenko USSR 1985 7-7 3/4 Brian Whitehead United States 1985

WORLD RECORD PROGRESSION

Mark Name Country Year 7-0 1/2 Charlie Dumas United States 1956 7-1 Yuriy Styepanov USSR 1957 7-1 1/2 John Thomas United States 1960 7-1 3/4 John Thomas United States 1960 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 1962 7-5 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1962 7-5 3/4 Valeriy Brumel USSR 1963 7-6* Ni Chih-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 1976 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 Rudolf Povarnitsin USSR 1985

*--Mark never ratified by the International Amateur Athletic Federation but considered statistically valid.