NEW YORK, N.Y. – Darius Clark set a new vertical jump world record of 53 inches this week at Fanatics Fest NYC, clearing the bar a half inch above Ethan Pimstone's previous mark of 52.5 inches and reclaiming the title he has now held three separate times in his career.
The jump came in front of a roaring crowd at the Javits Center, where Fanatics Fest NYC (July 16–19) has packed four days of sports, culture, and athlete showcases under one roof. For a few seconds on the show floor, none of it mattered. Every phone in the building was pointed at one man.
And one number.
53.
The world record has now been broken three times in 2026 alone — a pace of progression the sport has never seen. Pimstone's 52.5-inch jump at Dunk Camp 2026 in Salt Lake City stood for less than a month before Clark answered in New York.
The One-Second Barrier Finally Falls
The height was only half the story.
Clark also recorded a flight time of 1.017 seconds — making him the first athlete ever verifiably measured spending a full second in the air on a vertical jump.
The one-second barrier has been dunking's four-minute mile. Athletes have claimed it before, most notably Isaiah Espinosa, whose reported 1.0+ second flight time made waves in the community. But measurement standards on those earlier attempts left room for doubt, and the number was never universally accepted.
This one leaves no argument. With modern jump-tracking technology and the measurement in public view at one of the largest sports events in the country, 1.017 is now the standard every jumper on Earth is chasing.
Half a second going up. Half a second coming down. And for one brief moment at the top — a man simply hanging in the air.
A Rivalry Measured in Half Inches
If it feels like this record can't sit still, that's because it can't.
Clark first entered the record books in 2022 with a 50-inch leap in Salt Lake City that earned Guinness World Record recognition. He raised his own bar to 51 inches at Dunk Camp 2025 on the Vert Trainer. Then came 2026, when the record turned into a relay baton — changing hands three times in seven months, capped by Pimstone's stunning 52.5 at Dunk Camp 2026 in June.
Dunking News reported at the time that Clark was rumored to have a jump in the 53-to-54-inch range in him. In New York, the rumor became the record.
Clark wasn't alone at the Javits Center, either. Cam Hazzard, who joined the 50-inch club earlier this year while fighting through injury, and Dillon McCarthy also competed at the Fanatics Fest showcase — a preview of what's coming next for all three athletes.
The Dunkman Effect
The timing could not be scripted better.
Clark, Hazzard, and McCarthy are all part of DUNKMAN, the first professional dunk league, founded by Shaquille O'Neal in partnership with TNT Sports. The league debuts Tuesday, July 21 on TNT and HBO Max, with 24 of the world's best dunkers competing across group-stage events for a $500,000 grand prize at the DUNKMAN World Championship in August.
O'Neal has said his goal is to transform dunking from a one-night contest into a fully professional sport. Four days before his league's first broadcast, one of his athletes broke the sport's most important record at the biggest fan festival in America.
The sky, as the commissioner likes to ask, has a new owner. For now.
Who Breaks 53 Next?
If 2026 has proven anything, it's that no vertical jump record is safe for long. The list of legitimate threats is deeper than it has ever been:
- Ethan Pimstone — held the record at 52.5 inches for less than a month, and his rapid progression suggests he isn't finished climbing.
- Isaiah Rivera — co-owner of THP Strength and long regarded as owning one of the highest verticals in the world.
- Isaiah Espinosa — the original one-second flight time claimant, with every incentive to make it official.
- Tony Crosby — a proven 50-plus-inch jumper with elite explosiveness.
- Dom Dunks — "The Filipino Dunker," generating outrageous verticals at just 5'7".
Every athlete on that list has legitimately cleared 50 inches. Two years ago, 50 was the record itself. Today it's the entry fee.
What Comes Next?
The question hanging over the sport is no longer whether 53 falls — it's when, and whether the next number starts with a 54.
With DUNKMAN launching next week, Dunk Camp raising the measurement standard every summer, and a generation of jumpers pushing each other half an inch at a time, vertical jumping is evolving into a legitimate head-to-head discipline of its own.
Clark has now set the world record three times. He has watched it taken from him twice. And somewhere right now, half a dozen athletes are watching his Fanatics Fest jump on a loop, doing the math on half an inch.
Stay tuned to Dunking News for complete coverage of the record chase and the inaugural DUNKMAN season.
Key Takeaways
- Darius Clark set a new vertical jump world record of 53 inches at Fanatics Fest NYC at the Javits Center.
- The jump surpassed Ethan Pimstone's previous world record of 52.5 inches, set at Dunk Camp 2026 in June.
- Clark also recorded a 1.017-second flight time, the first verified full second of hang time in history.
- The vertical jump world record has now been broken three times in 2026.
- Clark, Cam Hazzard, and Dillon McCarthy all compete in Shaquille O'Neal's DUNKMAN league, debuting July 21 on TNT and HBO Max.
- Isaiah Rivera, Isaiah Espinosa, Tony Crosby, and Dom Dunks — all verified 50-inch-plus jumpers — remain in the hunt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest vertical jump ever recorded? The highest measured vertical jump is 53 inches, set by Darius Clark at Fanatics Fest NYC in July 2026. It broke Ethan Pimstone's previous world record of 52.5 inches.
Who is Darius Clark? Darius Clark, known as DAC, is an American vertical jump athlete and former NCAA All-American long jumper. He first earned Guinness World Record recognition in 2022 with a 50-inch running vertical leap and has now set the world record three times.
What is the longest flight time on a vertical jump? Darius Clark recorded a flight time of 1.017 seconds at Fanatics Fest NYC in 2026 — the first verifiably measured jump with a full second of air time.
What is DUNKMAN? DUNKMAN is the world's first professional dunk league, founded by Shaquille O'Neal with TNT Sports. Its inaugural season debuts July 21, 2026 on TNT and HBO Max, with 24 dunkers competing for a $500,000 grand prize.
How many times has the vertical jump world record been broken in 2026? Three times, culminating in Darius Clark's 53-inch jump at Fanatics Fest NYC.