Javier Sotomayor

Sotomayor's 2.45m in Salamanca in 1993 has been the world record for more than 30 years, and no one has come within a centimetre of it since 2014. He combined a sprinter's approach speed with a powerful, upright take-off, and in 1989 he became the first man over eight feet. Olympic gold in Barcelona and two world titles followed. His record also includes two positive tests late in his career, one of which cost him his 1999 Pan American Games gold.