A draw determines the order in which athlete will jump. Officials raise the bar by 5cm at a time, then reduce the difference in height to a minimum of 2cm. The event organizers set a minimum qualifying height, which must be jumped successfully in a maximum of 3 attempts athletes have 1.5 minutes for each attempt.

For strategic reasons, a competitor may choose not to jump the qualifying height and begin to make attempts once the bar is raise. Once the first height has been successfully cleared, the athlete may jump any of the ensuing heights at will. The jump must be made off one foot only. An athlete is eliminated from competition after 3 successive failures.