Mutale Mulenga (born 29 September 1967) is a Zambian

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

er who lived in England. In 1983, he set the world record for highest jump by a 16-year-old athlete. He competed in the men's high jump at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Career

In 1982, Mulenga jumped 1.90 m representing Dorset to set the championship record high jump performance at the

English Schools' Athletics Championships The English Schools' Athletics Championships are annual national athletics competitions organised by the English Schools' Athletic Association ESAA for students in England aged 12–18 for track and field, cross country and race walking. The eve ...

. The following year, Mulenga jumped 2.03 m to set the single-age world record for highest jump by a 16-year-old athlete. The mark was an 11 cm improvement on his personal best. He attempted but did not clear 2.05 m, which would have set the world record for any under-18 athlete. In June 1984, Mulenga jumped 1.96 metres at the Southwest Counties Schools' Athletics Championships in England. He claimed a poor takeoff prevented him from jumping near his personal best, but nonetheless set the championship record. Mulenga was scheduled to compete in the high jump at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, but he did not start the event. He was also selected to represent Dorset at the 1986

. At the 1984 Olympics, Mulenga was seeded in the 'B' high jump qualification group. He was observed to be the only Olympian not using the

Fosbury Flop The Fosbury flop is a jumping style used in the track and field event of high jump. It was popularized and perfected by American athlete Dick Fosbury, whose gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City brought it to the world's attention. ...

, instead resorting to the straddle technique that was seen as outdated. This reportedly made the crowd cheer him as an underdog. After missing his first attempt, he cleared 2.05 m using the straddle method, though he missed all his attempts at 2.10 m and did not qualify for the finals. At the 1986 track and field championships of

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, Malenga won the junior high jump with a 1.80 m mark but also won the junior

110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a rac ...

in a championship record time of 15.8 seconds.

Personal life

Mulenga attended

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the ...

Bryanston Bryanston is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour west of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 925. The village is adjacent to the grounds of Bryanston School, an in ...

, England. He was tall and could jump above his height in 1983.

References

1967 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Zambian male high jumpers Olympic athletes for Zambia Place of birth missing (living people) Sportspeople from Dorset Zambian expatriate sportspeople in England {{Zambia-athletics-bio-stub