The high jump is hardly just a two-woman, or even three-woman, show.
Five athletes have cleared two metres already this year, and several more have personal bests over the prestigious height. Among them, Great Britain’s Morgan Lake broke her own national record in Zurich with 2.00m, while Germany’s Christina Honsel sits at the same mark on the World Athletics top list.
That Zurich final alone saw four women clear 2.00m, a signal that Tokyo could deliver one of the most competitive qualification rounds in championship history.
Beyond the headline acts, two wild cards could upend the medal script. Angelina Topić of Serbia, under-20 world champion, already owns European medals and has rebounded from the injury that hampered her in Paris. Her career is young and ceiling unknown, but one clean round at the right height could change everything.
Jamaica’s 2022 Commonwealth Games champion Lamara Distin is another fierce contender. The NCAA record-breaker became the first collegiate woman ever to clear 2.00m indoors, and while her Olympic debut ended in heartbreak, her raw talent will make her one to watch.
Among the more seasoned names, Ukraine’s Yuliia Levchenko has rediscovered the spark that carried her to world silver in 2017, coming close to 2.02m in Zurich. And never count out Vashti Cunningham of the United States, multiple-time national champion and 2019 bronze medallist, with a personal best of 2.02m.
The World Championships record remains 2.09m, **Stefka Kostadinova’**s long-standing mark. Mahuchikh’s world record of 2.10m, set at the Paris Diamond League last year, has reopened the conversation: heights of 2.06m, 2.07m or more are suddenly realistic targets in a championship setting.
As Mahuchikh herself said at a press conference earlier this summer, “My goal is always to go higher, to improve my world record, and to defend my title in Japan.”
In high jump, it’s not just about how high you go, but when you clear it. Athletes advance either by clearing the automatic qualifying height of 1.97m or by ranking in the top 12. If more than 12 athletes tie, countback rules apply: the one with fewer failures at earlier heights goes through. That means one early slip at 1.89 could be the difference between jumping for medals or watching from the stands.
The women’s high jump qualification takes place on 18 September 2025 at 6:15 AM local time, with the final scheduled for 21 September 2025 at 6:30 AM.