Derek Drouin

1.1. Early life and education

Drouin was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in Corunna, Ontario, a small community within the St. Clair Township. He has two sisters, Jillian and Alysha. His first introduction to high jumping occurred in kindergarten when his teacher taught the sport to the class. After the lesson, Drouin went home and began practicing by leaping over a broom placed between two speakers. His sister, Jillian Drouin, also became an international competitor for Canada, notably in the heptathlon, participating in events such as the World Youth Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Pan American Games.

1.2. Collegiate career

Drouin competed for the Indiana Hoosiers track team during his collegiate career. He became the first athlete from Indiana University to win an NCAA championship in the high jump. He achieved remarkable success, becoming a five-time NCAA Champion in the high jump. In 2013, he was awarded the Big Ten Athlete of the Year title, a recognition of his unparalleled achievement as the first athlete in NCAA history to secure five NCAA high jump championships.

2.1. Early international competitions

Drouin first achieved international success in his junior career. In 2007, he competed at the World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, finishing 10th with a jump of 6.7 ft ^{(2.04 m)}. The following year, at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India, he secured a bronze medal with a height of 6.9 ft ^{(2.09 m)}. His breakthrough came in 2009 when he won his first major international title at the Pan American Junior Championships in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, clearing 7.4 ft ^{(2.27 m)}. Prior to the 2012 season, Drouin had not competed at any senior-level World Championships.

2.2. 2012 London Olympics

Drouin qualified for the high jump event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London after winning the Canadian national championships with a jump of 7.6 ft ^{(2.31 m)}, narrowly beating compatriot Michael Mason, who also competed in London. His participation in the Olympics was a significant achievement, especially considering he had torn three ligaments in his foot in 2011 after a meet in Mississippi State and only returned to competition in April 2012. Before the Olympics, Drouin competed in two Diamond League meets, winning in London with 7.4 ft ^{(2.26 m)} and finishing third in Monaco with 7.5 ft ^{(2.3 m)}.

He initially won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, with a jump of 7.5 ft ^{(2.29 m)}. This marked Canada's first medal in high jump since the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, when Greg Joy earned a medal for Canada. In 2021, Drouin's medal was retroactively upgraded to silver after Ivan Ukhov, the original gold medalist, was disqualified for doping violations. The upgraded silver medal was officially presented to Drouin in August 2024 during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as one of ten Olympians to receive reallocated medals from previous Games.

2.3. 2013 World Championships and Francophonie Games

The 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, Russia, was Drouin's next major global competition. He secured the bronze medal with a personal best and new national record of 7.8 ft ^{(2.38 m)}, though he was unable to clear 7.9 ft ^{(2.41 m)}. In this competition, he finished behind Mutaz Barshim (silver) and Bohdan Bondarenko (gold), who was the world leader in 2013. Drouin expressed his satisfaction with the achievement, stating, "I wanted to prove this year that I deserved to be on the podium in London 2012, feels good to have accomplished that goal. I was joking after that I never thought I would only place third jumping 7.8 ft ^{(2.38 m)}, I'm certainly not disappointed, it was an incredible competition. I felt like 7.9 ft ^{(2.41 m)} was attainable but it's always emotional when you set a personal best, getting another one in the same competition was a daunting task. That height is definitely a realistic goal for me now."

One month after the World Championships, Drouin earned his first major international title at the 7th edition of the Francophone Games, held in Nice, France, on September 14, 2013. Three high jumpers cleared 7.5 ft ^{(2.3 m)}, but Drouin secured the victory by clearing the height on his first attempt, while France's Mickaël Hanany and Romania's 2009 Francophone Games champion Mihai Donisan each required three attempts.

As a result of his record-breaking 2013 season, Drouin received three prestigious awards from Athletics Canada: the Jack W. Davies Trophy for outstanding athlete of the year, the F.N.A. Rowell Trophy for athlete of the year in field events, and the Cal D. Bricker Memorial Trophy for outstanding performance of the year.

2.4. 2014 Season

Building on his successes, Drouin continued to achieve new milestones in 2014. He further improved his Canadian record by jumping 7.9 ft ^{(2.4 m)} at the 2014 Drake Relays event in Des Moines, United States, on April 25. In this competition, he cleared the first eight heights on his first attempt, winning the event at 7.8 ft ^{(2.38 m)}. Americans Erik Kynard and Dusty Jonas finished second and third, respectively, both clearing 7.7 ft ^{(2.35 m)}. Drouin then successfully cleared 7.9 ft ^{(2.4 m)} on his third attempt, establishing a new Canadian record. He did not attempt to jump higher. Drouin expressed his pride in reaching this prestigious height, remarking, "That is a huge barrier distance, I think, for any elite high jumper. It's kind of like the first time making two metres, or seven foot being an elusive seven-foot club. Two-forty has only been cleared by a handful of people ever, so as a high jumper I think I've sort of coined that as my lifetime goal." This jump made Drouin only the tenth man in the world to clear 7.9 ft ^{(2.4 m)} outdoors, with five others having achieved it indoors.

In July, Drouin competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, where he won the gold medal with a jump of 7.6 ft ^{(2.31 m)}. He made attempts to clear 7.8 ft ^{(2.37 m)} to set a new Commonwealth Games record but was unsuccessful. His Canadian teammate Michael Mason earned the bronze medal, placing behind Drouin.

2.5. 2015 Pan American and World Championships

The year 2015 brought two major competitions for Drouin: the 2015 Pan American Games in his hometown of Toronto, followed by the 2015 World Championships in Athletics a few weeks later. At the Pan Am Games, Drouin secured the gold medal, with teammate Michael Mason once again taking the silver, replicating their result from the Commonwealth Games. Drouin commented on the victory, saying, "My last two meets were season bests also, so I was carrying in some confidence. I knew that being in Toronto and being in front of the crowd like this would be great, so I'm glad I didn't let that go to waste. Canada winning gold and silver, it can't get much better than that. Non-verbally, because I didn't want to jinx it, I was hoping Mike and I would be the top two spots."

At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, Drouin advanced to the finals, where he found himself in a four-way jump-off after all competitors cleared 7.6 ft ^{(2.33 m)} but failed at 7.7 ft ^{(2.36 m)}. Drouin successfully cleared 7.7 ft ^{(2.34 m)} on his first attempt, while his opponents were unable to, thereby securing his world title. Reflecting on his victory, he said, "It's funny because a few months ago I was just so frustrated with the season. I went about a month and a half without clearing 7.5 ft ^{(2.3 m)}, playing with a new approach and trying to peak at the end of the season. I got to the point where I just wanted the season to be done and forget about world championships. Luckily, I was patient and things finally worked out and things clicked and when they clicked they really clicked. I felt like I was in a really good place coming into here."

2.6. 2016 Rio Olympics and high jump technique

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Drouin achieved a season-best height of 7.8 ft ^{(2.38 m)} to win the gold medal, defeating Barshim and Bondarenko, who had previously outranked him. Drouin flawlessly cleared every height on his first attempt throughout the competition, until he missed at 7.9 ft ^{(2.4 m)} while attempting to set an Olympic record. This victory marked the second medal won by a Canadian male athlete, the first gold medal for a Canadian male, and Canada's third gold medal overall at the Rio de Janeiro Games. Drouin became the first Canadian to win a gold medal in a field sport since Duncan McNaughton, who also won the high jump at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Of his historic gold medal, Drouin stated, "We've had a pretty good tradition in high jump, so myself and my teammates are just trying to keep re-writing it. It doesn't matter that I was world champion coming in today. In my eyes, everyone was on even playing ground right from the start. The pressure that maybe other people felt for me I certainly wasn't internalizing."

Drouin is recognized for employing a slightly different high jump technique compared to most of his contemporary competitors. His approach involves a slower pace and a distinctive bounding motion towards the bar, rather than the rapid, sprinting approach favored by many other high jumpers. This method allows him to maintain a stiff plant leg, which is crucial for transferring the necessary energy for the jump. Drouin explained his technique to The New York Times, stating, "You see, jumpers try to run as fast as they can, and then they put their foot down and their leg isn't able to handle it. So they just end up blowing through the bar."

2.7. Post-Rio and injury

Following his gold medal win at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Drouin shifted his focus to training for decathlons, with the ambition of qualifying for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the multi-event category. He explained this career development as a return to his college athletic days when he felt most confident and in peak physical condition, finding the decathlon to be enjoyable. On April 7, 2017, at the Sam Adam Multi Event meet in Montecito, California, Drouin set a new world decathlon best in the high jump, clearing 7.5 ft ^{(2.28 m)}. This impressive jump and his overall decathlon performance surpassed a record that had stood since 1977. Despite his new focus, Drouin still intended to compete in the high jump at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London to defend his world title. However, he was plagued by injury problems leading up to the 2017 World Championships. An Achilles tendon injury ultimately forced him to withdraw from the championships, similar to fellow Canadian and medal favorite Andre De Grasse.

3.1. Personal bests

Drouin's personal bests in various track and field events are as follows:

• Outdoor High Jump:** 7.9 ft ^{(2.4 m)} (Canadian National Record), set in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, on April 25, 2014.
• Indoor High Jump:** 7.7 ft ^{(2.35 m)}, set in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, on March 9, 2013.
• Indoor Heptathlon High Jump:** 7.5 ft ^{(2.3 m)} (1091 points), which was a world heptathlon best at the time, set in Geneva, Ohio, USA, on February 22, 2013.

His decathlon performance, including component marks for each event:

3.2. National and collegiate titles

Derek Drouin has won numerous championship titles both at the national level in Canada and during his collegiate career in the NCAA:

• Canadian Track and Field Championships (High Jump):**
  • 2010
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
• NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships (High Jump):**
  • 2010
  • 2013
• NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships (High Jump):**
  • 2010
  • 2011
  • 2013

3.3. International competitions