When Russia's Yuri Stepanov racked up a world's record high jump of 7 ft. 1 in. early this summer, western trackmen admitted to mild surprise. Few had ever heard of Yuri, and he had not even made the Soviet Olympic squad. When Russia's Olympian Igor Kashkarov (who cleared only 6 ft. 10½ in. to finish third at Melbourne) claimed a jump of 7 ft. ¼ in., western trackmen began to wonder what was going on. The seven-foot barrier, which had once tripped everyone but California's Charley Dumas, seemed suddenly to have shrunk.
Then the French daily, L'Equipe, published a picture of Yuri...
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