High Jump, Men

There was no qualifying in this event. There were 12 entrants but only eight starters, as the Sunday start eliminated two Americans, William Remington and Walter Carroll. Irv Baxter defeated Pat Leahy by clearing 1.90 metres, and then attempted to equal the world record of 1.97, but failed, in part because unrestrained spectators made it difficult for him to concentrate. Leahy had won the 1898 and 1899 AAA titles, but had also lost the 1900 AAA championship to Baxter.

Baxter was America’s top high jumper since Mike Sweeney’s professional defection. Baxter had been second in the 1897 IC4A while representing Trinity College, and won that event in 1899 for Penn. He also won the 1899 AAU high jump title. Sweeney, however, also made his presence felt in Paris, as he had competed in the professional competitions earlier in the summer, winning the high jump and the long jump.