High Flyers Return to Bislett

Heading the list of competitors is the reigning Olympic and World Champion Derek Drouin of Canada. Drouin, whose personal best is 2.40m, has displayed great calmness and aggressive instincts in the competitive crisis that presented itself at both Rio and Beijing.

On both occasions Drouin was almost flawless in the competitions by clearing the majority of heights on his first attempt.

Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim remains perhaps the most talented jumper of all time and some of his high bar clearances have been breathtaking to behold. The former World Indoor Champion is overdue for a major outdoor title or indeed the world record.

The other medallist from Rio who will return to Oslo is the tall Ukrainian Bohdan Bondarenko. Also a prolific jumper at high bars, Bondarenko boasts six performances over 2.40m. His great rival Barshim has seven!

Interestingly, the Olympic and World Champion Drouin only has one successful clearance at that high mark! Yet he has the gold medals firmly in his possession.

It is the world record holder Javier Sotomayor that has the meeting record of 2.37 set i 1989. The Meeting Director himself Steinar Hoen jumped 2.35m back in 1994 when hen he won the Bislett Games for the first time. He har ftherfor irst hand experience that it is possible to jump really high at Bislett. It is time for a new stadium record and a jump over 2.40 at bislett 15.june he says and with this field of great jumpers the chances of it to happen is set.

Whilst the Rio medallists Drouin, Barshim and Bondarenko will be the dominant forces in the event, there are some other competitors who have shown not only an ability to jump high but can also upset the more fancied athletes! Previous Bislett winner Guowei Zhang of China, British record-holder Robbie Grabarz and the surprising Madj Ghazal of Syria are all more than capable of taking victory.