Tomorrow marks the 35th anniversary of a historical event for Bulgaria and for global sports – the still unbeaten world record of 209 cm by Stefka Kostadinova in the high jump. On August 30, 1987, during the World Cup, the spectators in the stands of the Olympic Stadium in Rome and billions in front of the TV screens witnessed a phenomenal achievement, which is still unattainable by anyone else on the planet.
These 209 cm in the Italian capital are part of the amazing career of the Bulgarian, recognized as the absolute hegemon in the discipline for all time and one of the greatest in world sports history.
Then, only 22 years old, Stefka Kostadinova quickly secured indisputable superiority in the high jump and wins everywhere. But the big show is yet to come. Everything is chosen like in a fairy tale: in the Eternal City and at the World Cup, in front of the cameras and the eyes of billions of viewers around the world. Everything about the magic is ready.
Stefka Kostadinova reached the record in Rome with 9 successful jumps.
After successfully overcoming the qualifications with 191 cm, in the final Stefka Kostadinova made a total of 13 attempts, of which 9 were successful:
185 cm – from 1 attempt
189 cm – from 1 attempt
193 cm – from 1 attempt
196 cm – from 1 attempt
199 cm – from 1 attempt
202 cm – from 1 attempt (Susanne Beyer drops here and remains with bronze with 199 cm)
204 cm – from 3 attempts
206 cm – from 2 attempts
208 cm – misses (Tamara Bykova also surrenders here, remaining with silver with 204 cm)
209 cm – from 2 attempts, which is still the women’s high jump world record
Video of the Stefka Kostadinova’s high jump WR in 1987:
