The competition exists out of two separate rounds. In the qualification, each competitor attempts to jump over a bar set at a certain height, with three failed attempts at the same height ending their competition. After four set heights, the twelve best performance advance to the final, including athletes tied for twelfth place. In the final, the qualified athletes once again attempt to jump over a certain height, but contrary to the qualification, the competition is continued until there is only a single competitor remaining.
Preview[]
Thirty-two athletes qualified for the event with defending Olympic champion and world record holder Renaud Lavillenie and five-time national champion Sam Kendricks as the favorites for the title. The biggest challengers for the medals would be the 2015 world champion Shawnacy Barber and the home-favorite Thiago Braz da Silva. With a star-studded field that also included the European champion Robert Sobera, the silver medalist of the European championships Jan Kudlicka, the defending bronze medalist Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe, the world champion of 2011 Pawel Wojciechowski, and Piotr Lisek, there were plenty of other athletes who could take their opportunity to win a medal.
