Eight strides, a curve, and the physics of leaving the ground later than feels safe. The high jump’s next centimetre is a question of approach.
The curve
The approach bends for a reason: the lean into the curve stores the rotation that takes the body over the bar. A straighter run means a higher take-off and a worse clearance.
The last stride
Shorter than the one before it, and lower. Every centimetre of penultimate-stride drop is a centimetre of bar, which is why the best jumpers look like they are about to fall over.
