Kajsa Bergqvist
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| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Kajsa Bergqvist |
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| Women's Athletics | |||
Competitor for  Sweden |
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| Olympic Games | |||
| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | High jump | |
| World Championships | |||
| Gold | 2005 Helsinki | High jump | |
| Bronze | 2001 Edmonton | High jump | |
| Bronze | 2003 Paris | High jump | |
| European Championships | |||
| Gold | 2002 Munich | High jump | |
| Bronze | 2006 Gothenburg | High jump | |
Kajsa Margareta Bergqvist (Swedish, pronounced [ˈkajːsa ˈbærːjˌkvɪst]) (born October 12, 1976, in Sollentuna, Sweden) is a retired Swedish high jumper. She has won one bronze medal in the Olympic Games, one gold and two bronze medals in the World Championships in Athletics and one gold and one bronze in the European Championships. Her personal outdoor record of 2.06 m, set in Germany in 2003, is also a Swedish record. Her indoor record at 2.08 m, set in Germany in 2006, is also the world indoor record.
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[edit] Biography
Kajsa grew up in Sollentuna, north of Stockholm, with her mother Elsa, father Gunnar and big brother Anders. Her interest in sport began when she was six years old and tried sports such as football, volleyball, badminton, swimming and cross-country skiing, none of which was able to keep her interest.
When she was ten years old, she was persuaded by her big brother, Anders, to compete in Rösjöloppet, a long-distance track event. After that event, she began to try out several athletic events.
Kajsa continued to train in several athletic events until she was 15 years old, when a new coach, Bengt Jönsson, came to her club, Turebergs FK. Soon after his arrival, he and Kajsa chose to concentrate on the event that was her best, high jump.
She attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX from 1995-1999 with a degree in Advertising. She was the NCAA champion in 1997 with a clearance of 1.93 in the rain at the Indiana University over Amy Acuff of UCLA ending her streak at two. She won the NCAA meet again in 1999 with a height of 1.90 in Boise. In the season 1999, she tied Acuff's collegiate outdoor record of 1.95 (6-6). That record is sometimes omitted as it was set in international competition after the NCAA meet.
In 2001 she moved from Sweden to Monaco.
By 2004, lack of progress and long travel distances caused Kajsa to end the relationship with her coach, Bengt Jönsson. She joined a group of athletes (including Olympic gold medalist Christian Olsson) under Yannick Tregaro.
At a competition in Båstad, on July 18, 2004, Kajsa tore her Achilles tendon. Due to the injury, she missed the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but managed to return to form just in time for the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki. There she made an impressive series of jumps to edge out Chaunte Howard for the gold medal. Her Helsinki victory earned the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal for that year.
In 2006 she had been ranked the number one female high jumper in the world but failed to win in that summer's European Championships in front of her home fans in Gothenburg, settling for a bronze medal.
In Arnstadt Germany, 4th of February 2006, Kajsa set her first world record. A first attempt indoor leap of 2.08 m to surpass Heike Henkel's 2.07 m leap on 8th of February 1992. The record wasn't totally unexpected since she jumped 2.00 m already in the warm up for the competition.
Kajsa chose not to compete in the 2007 European Indoor Athletics Championships, opting, instead, to concentrate on defending her world outdoor crown. She had not started the indoor season well, and was nowhere near the form which had seen her set the world record the year before. It did not pay off as she finished 7th in Osaka.
Kajsa married director Måns Herngren on New Year's Eve in 2007 and shortly afterwards, on January 7, 2008, announced that she would retire from high jumping. She had found her life entering "a new phase" and that she no longer felt as motivated to keep competing, even after her break in 2007.
[edit] International medals
[edit] High jump
- Olympic Games
- World Championships in Athletics
- World Indoor Championships in Athletics
- 2003, Birmingham - 2.01 m - Gold
- 2001, Lisbon - 2.00 m - Gold
- European Athletics Championships
- 2006, Gothenburg - 2.01 m - Bronze
- 2002, Munich - 1.98 m - Gold
- European Indoor Athletics Championships
- European Athletics U23 Championships
- World Junior Championships in Athletics
- European Athletics Junior Championships
- 1995, Nyiregyhaza - 1.89 m - Silver
[edit] Other victories
[edit] High jump
- 1997: Bloomington, IN NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship - 1.93 m
- 1999: Boise, ID NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship - 1.90m
- 1999: Brussels (Golden League) - 1.97 m
- 2000: Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 1.96 m
- 2001: Vaasa (European Cup first league) - 1.92 m; Rome (Golden League) - 1.98 m; Monaco (Golden League) - 1.99 m; Berlin (Golden League) - 1.96 m
- 2002: Seville (European Cup first league) - 1.98 m; Lausanne (Grand Prix) - 2.04 m; Paris Saint-Denis (Golden League-meet) - 1.97 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 2.00 m; Brussels (Golden League-meet) - 1.99 m
- 2003: Ostrava (Grand Prix) - 2.01 m; Lappeenranta (European Cup first league) - 1.96 m; Eberstadt (high jump-meet) - 2.06 m (outdoor personal best)
- 2005: Gävle (European Cup first league) - 2.01 m; Zagreb (Grand Prix) - 2.00 m; Madrid (Grand Prix) - 1.98 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 1.95 m; Sheffield (Grand Prix) - 2.03 m; Monaco (World Athletics Final) - 2.00 m
- 2006: Doha (Grand Prix) - 1.97 m; Málaga (European Cup super league) - 1.97 m; Athens (Grand Prix) - 2.00 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 2.02 m; London (Grand Prix) - 2.05 m; Eberstadt (high jump-meet) - 1.98 m; Stuttgart (World Athletics Final) - 1.98 m
- 2007; Vaasa (European Cup first league) - 1.92 m; Sheffield (Grand Prix) - 1.95 m
[edit] Personal bests
- High jump
- Indoor - 2.08 m (World Record)
- Outdoor - 2.06 m
- Heptathlon
- Outdoor - 4952 p
[edit] Trivia
- When competing at the 2005 World Championships, Kajsa wore spikes bearing her name; 'Kajsa'. They were later auctioned by the IAAF.
[edit] References
- sv:Kajsa Bergqvist. Accessed August 11, 2005.
- Kajsa Bergqvist's official site. Retrieved on August 11, 2005. - (in Swedish)
- "Kajsa Bergqvist Pictures"
- "IAAF - International Association of Athletics Federations".
- "IAAF - Competition sites".
- IAAF - Kajsa Bergqvist's biography. Retrieved on August 11, 2005.
- IAAF - World Rankings - Women's High Jump. Retrieved on August 31, 2005.
- "EAA - European Athletic Association".
- "EAA - Event Result Database".
- EAA - Kajsa Bergqvist's biography. Retrieved on August 11, 2005.
- Swedish high jumper Kajsa Bergqvist retires. The Associated Press. Retrieved on January 07, 2008.
[edit] External links
- IAAF profile for Kajsa Bergqvist
- Kajsa Bergqvist Pictures
- BBC Sports Article - (2005 World Championships in Athletics)
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Stefan Holm |
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal 2005 |
Succeeded by Anja Pärson |
| Sporting positions | ||
Preceded by Venelina Veneva |
Women's High Jump Best Year Performance 2002 – 2003 |
Succeeded by Yelena Slesarenko |
| Preceded by Yelena Slesarenko |
Women's High Jump Best Year Performance 2005 – 2006 |
Succeeded by Blanka Vlašić |
| Preceded by Emelie Färdigh |
Swedish National High Jump Champion 1997 — 2003 |
Succeeded by Carolina Klüft |
| Preceded by Emma Green |
Swedish National High Jump Champion 2006 — 2007 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
