As a former high jumper, coach and life time fan of the event, I have developed very refined tastes with regard to technical proficiency.
Probably my favorite flop technician of all time had to be Igor Paklin. I have never seen such a smooth run up by any hochsprunger. He always used his arms well and was excellent in the turn. Because of his run up he was able to just crush the plant and take most of his forward momentum vertically, but with enough horizontal velocity to sail clear of the bar. His layout was impeccable. Unlike most jumpers, he allowed his drive leg to stay in position even while clearing the bar. I believe this enabled him to take more of the vertical force with him. He gathered well at the plant and still was able to use his lead arm in the right trajectory when clearing the bar. Although not as fast as most jumpers of his time, because of his technical expertise in many areas, he is still =3rd all time (2.41m) even though his jump was 24 years ago.
Enough about me. Who is your favorite technician in your favorite event? Even if it's a distance runner, was there something about his stride or the timing of his finishing kick that you loved watching?
Probably my favorite flop technician of all time had to be Igor Paklin. I have never seen such a smooth run up by any hochsprunger. He always used his arms well and was excellent in the turn. Because of his run up he was able to just crush the plant and take most of his forward momentum vertically, but with enough horizontal velocity to sail clear of the bar. His layout was impeccable. Unlike most jumpers, he allowed his drive leg to stay in position even while clearing the bar. I believe this enabled him to take more of the vertical force with him. He gathered well at the plant and still was able to use his lead arm in the right trajectory when clearing the bar. Although not as fast as most jumpers of his time, because of his technical expertise in many areas, he is still =3rd all time (2.41m) even though his jump was 24 years ago.
Enough about me. Who is your favorite technician in your favorite event? Even if it's a distance runner, was there something about his stride or the timing of his finishing kick that you loved watching?
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