Track Shorts: Zeroing In On Eight Feet

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As modern man and futuristic equipment approach the once unthinkable 20-ft. pole vault, the 30-ft. long jump, the 60-ft. triple jump and the 2-hr. marathon, the benchmark most likely to fall in Seoul is the 8-ft. high jump. Sweden's Patrik Sjoberg and West Germany's Carlo Thranhardt shared a world record of 7 ft. 11 1/4 in. until last week, when Cuba's Javier Sotomayor soared 7 ft. 11 1/2 in. in Spain. At least three other jumpers, West German Dietmar Mogenburg and Soviets Igor Paklin and Gennadi Avdeyenko, are potential Olympic eight-footers. Sotomayor is among the boycotters.

The enigmatic Sjoberg seems to have the best chance. A born rebel who took to smoking at six and shoplifting as a teenager, the reigning world champion is known for his flashy sports cars, below-shoulder-length blond hair and stormy relationship with his coach. "I have no education, no profession. Now it is time for me to look after my future and make provision for it," he says. Sjoberg calls the 8-ft. barrier his next goal "because it is such a big thing in the United States," where appearance fees run high on the indoor circuit.

When 13-time World-Record Holder John Thomas of the U.S. became the first to top 7 ft. indoors in 1959, there were no fat fees or endorsements with shoe companies. Recalls Thomas: "My coach slipped me an extra $10 that night for hamburgers, and I was king of 44th Street. Times change." Barriers fall.