Kajsa Bergqvist

Kajsa Bergqvist
Kajsa Bergqvist during the Swedish Sports Awards inside the Stockholm Globe Arena in January 2013
Personal information
Full nameKajsa Margareta Bergqvist
Born (1976-10-12) 12 October 1976
Sollentuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight59 kg (130 lb)
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventHigh jump
Retired2007
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)High jump (outdoor): 2.06 m
High jump (indoor): 2.08 m (world record)
Heptathlon: 4952 points[1]
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Sweden
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 1
World Championships 1 0 2
World Indoor Championships 2 0 0
European Championships 1 0 1
European Indoor Championships 1 1 0
Continental Cup 0 0 0
Total 5 1 3
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney High jump
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Helsinki High jump
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Edmonton High jump
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Paris High jump
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2002 Munich High jump
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Gothenburg High jump
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2001 Lisbon High jump
Gold medal – first place 2003 Birmingham High jump
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2000 Ghent High jump
Silver medal – second place 2002 Vienna High jump
World Athletics Final
Gold medal – first place 2005 Monte Carlo High jump
Gold medal – first place 2006 Stuttgart High jump
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Monte Carlo High jump
Updated on 18 August 2013

Kajsa Margareta Bergqvist (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈkǎjːsa ˈbæ̂rjkvɪst]; born 12 October 1976 in Sollentuna, Stockholm) is a Swedish former high jumper. She 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 (6.8 ft), set in Germany in 2003, is also a Swedish record. Her indoor record of 2.08 m (6.8 ft), set at the Hochsprung mit Musik meeting in 2006, is the world indoor record.[2]

Early life

Bergqvist was born on 12 October 1976 in Sollentuna Municipality, Stockholm County.[3]

When she was 10 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. One of her motivational athletes was Carl Lewis.[4]

Bergqvist 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 Bergqvist chose to concentrate on the event that was her best, high jump.

She attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas (USA) in 1995–1999, with a degree in Advertising. She was the NCAA champion in 1997 with a clearance of 1.93 m (6.3 ft) 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 m (6.2 ft) in Boise.[5] The same year, she tied Acuff's collegiate outdoor record of 1.98 m (6.5 ft).[6]

In 2000, she cleared 2.00 m (6.56 ft) at the Swedish Olympic trials, tying for the year's second best record.[7]

Athletics career

Bergqvist changed coaches from Bengt Jönsson to Yannick Tregaro in the autumn of 2003.[8]

At a competition in Båstad, on 18 July 2004, Bergqvist tore her Achilles tendon.[9] 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.[10] There she edged out Chaunté Howard for the gold medal. Her Helsinki victory earned the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.[11]

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, having to settle for a bronze medal.

At the Hochsprung mit Musik meeting in Arnstadt, Germany, on 4 February 2006, Bergqvist set her first world record: she made an indoor leap of 2.08 m (6.8 ft) on her first attempt, surpassing Heike Henkel's 2.07 m (6.8 ft) leap on 8 February 1992.[12]

Bergqvist 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.[13]

She announced her retirement in January 2008.[14]

Post-athletics

Since her retirement, she has been an ambassador for both UNICEF and the IAAF.[15][16]

In 2021 Bergqvist became head coach of the Swedish national athletics team.[17]

Personal life

Bergqvist married director Måns Herngren on New Year's Eve in 2007. The couple announced their divorce in early 2011.[18]

In December 2011, Bergqvist confirmed in an interview that she is in a relationship with a woman and stated: "As lesbian as I feel today, as heterosexual I felt when I was together with Måns. But when I get old and look back on my life, perhaps one can think that I'm bisexual." This announcement came after a period of rumours concerning Bergqvist's personal life.[19]

International medals

High jump

Other victories

High jump

Kajsa Bergqvist's 2.06 m jump in Eberstadt 2003

References

  1. ^ Kajsa Bergqvist's IAAF profile
  2. ^ "2.08 world indoor high jump record for Bergqvist in Arnstadt". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  3. ^ "FAKTA: KAJSA BERGQVIST". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 24 September 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2025 – via PressReader.
  4. ^ "worldathletics.org: Legend Of Athletics - Kajsa Bergqvist - Signature Edition". youtube.com. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  5. ^ "PLUS: TRACK AND FIELD -- N.C.A.A. OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS; Arkansas' Lister Wins Long Jump". The New York Times. Associated Press. 4 June 1999. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  6. ^ Griffin, Tim (6 June 2006). "Women of the meet: Hooker sisters dominate at Texas". ESPN.com. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  7. ^ "S.M.U. Jumper A Swedish Star". The New York Times. 20 August 2000. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Bergqvist hoppas kunna hoppa i maj". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 7 April 2004. ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  9. ^ ""Aj, aj, aj - den är av"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 19 July 2004. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  10. ^ Hart, Simon (21 January 2007). "How Bergqvist kept raising the bar to reach top of the world". Sunday Telegraph. p. 79. Retrieved 18 July 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Lindblad, Anders (17 January 2006). "Kajsa dubbelt hyllad på galan". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Bergqvist breaks women's high jump indoor mark". The Times and Democrat. 5 February 2006. p. 15. Retrieved 18 July 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Sports digest: Swedish hopes dashed in Osaka". The Local Sweden. 3 September 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  14. ^ Janson, Maria (7 January 2008). "Kajsa Bergqvist slutar". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  15. ^ Arcoleo, Laura (7 July 2007). World Youth Press Conference – Athletes' quotes. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  16. ^ Turner, Chris (24 October 2005). Bergqvist is appointed as UNICEF Ambassador. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  17. ^ "Friidrott: Kajsa Bergqvist blir förbundskapten – lämnar SVT". SVT Sport (in Swedish). 4 June 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  18. ^ Ågren, Joel (13 February 2011). "Så går Kajsa vidare". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  19. ^ Roström-Andersson, Sofia (20 December 2011). "Kajsa Bergqvist kommer ut". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 October 2019.
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