Aydın Tiryaki (2026)

In the world of athletics, high jump is perhaps the most direct challenge to gravity. Yet, for decades, it has been governed by a binary “pass or fail” logic. An athlete can clear the bar with 99% of their body by a 10 cm margin, only to be disqualified because a heel brushed the bar by a single millimeter. In an era of advanced sensors and AI, why are we still tethered to 19th-century measurement methods?

The Physical Bar: A Target, Not a Judge

In the system I propose, the bar remains on the high jump stands. However, its role changes fundamentally: the bar is no longer the ultimate “judge,” but a visual reference (target) for the athlete. The success of the jump is determined not by whether the bar falls, but by digital data provided by high-precision sensors (IMUs and laser rangefinders) placed on the athlete’s body.

The “Lowest Maximum” (LM) Theory

At the heart of this new system lies a calculation logic I call the “Lowest Maximum.” Sensors placed on critical joint points—Shoulders, Hips, Knees, and Heels—record their height from the ground instantaneously throughout the jump.

The measurement process follows these steps:

1. Each sensor identifies its highest point (Maximum) reached during the flight.
2. The official jump height is recorded as the lowest of these four different peak points.

Example Scenario:

• Shoulder Peak Height: 2.40 m
• Hip Peak Height: 2.38 m
• Knee Peak Height: 2.35 m
• Heel Peak Height: 2.31 m

In this case, the athlete’s official result is 2.31 m, as this is the highest level they cleared completely with every part of their body.

Body Segment	Peak Height Reached	Status
Shoulder	2.40 m	Clear
Hip	2.38 m	Clear
Knee	2.35 m	Clear
Heel	2.31 m	Official Result

Digital Fairness and “Hidden” Records

The current system often loses the true potential of an athlete in the “anxiety of clearing the bar.” A sensor-based system promises:

• The End of Luck: Disqualification due to wind or microscopic touches that drop the bar becomes a thing of the past.
• Recording Hidden Potential: When an athlete clears a 2.30 m bar with a 10 cm margin, this is no longer just a “pass”; it is recorded as a “2.40 m potential” in the database.
• Millimetric Precision: Time delays and human errors during the manual adjustment of the bar are eliminated.

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Application to Pole Vault: Even Greater Potential for Success

This “Lowest Maximum” model, designed for the high jump, can yield even more spectacular results in the Pole Vault. In this discipline, athletes often soar far above the bar.

• The Duplantis Effect: We often see world record holders like Mondo Duplantis clearing the bar with massive margins (20-30 cm). Under current rules, this is merely a visual spectacle. With sensor measurement, it could be scientifically proven that the athlete actually achieved a 6.50 m capacity even if the bar was set at 6.20 m.
• Flexibility in Technical Errors: It is common for an athlete’s body to clear the height, only for the pole to hit the bar and knock it down. Sensors would confirm that the body had already cleared that height, preventing technical accidents from overshadowing peak performance.

Conclusion

The spirit of sport is about exploring the limits of human performance. With this system, we aim to liberate athletics from the captivity of luck and millimetric mishaps, placing it on a foundation of “Digital Justice” based on pure data and true physical achievement. The bar should no longer be an obstacle, but merely a flare on the path to the sky.

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A Note on Methods and Tools: All observations, ideas, and solution proposals in this study are the author’s own. AI was utilized as an information source for researching and compiling relevant topics strictly based on the author’s inquiries, requests, and directions; additionally, it provided writing assistance during the drafting process. (The research-based compilation and English writing process of this text were supported by AI as a specialized assistant.)