Which athlete set the women’s high-jump world record of 2.09 metres?

Stefka Kostadinova set the women’s high-jump world record of 2.09 metres.

The Bulgarian cleared 2.09 metres at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. That mark remains the outdoor women’s high-jump world record. Kostadinova had already won the world indoor title earlier in 1987, establishing herself as the event’s leading jumper.

Her record followed a progression of exceptional performances in the 1980s. She cleared two metres in 1985 and became Olympic champion at the 1996 Atlanta Games with a jump of 2.05 metres. The Olympic title came nine years after her world-record clearance.

The record is sometimes confused with the women’s indoor world record, which has had separate record history. High-jump results are measured vertically from the ground to the upper edge of the crossbar, and a jumper must clear the bar without dislodging it.