Patrik Sjöberg
Jan Niklas Patrik Sjöberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈpɑ̌ːtrɪk ˈɧø̂ːbærj]; born 5 January 1965) is a Swedish former high jumper. He broke the world record with 2.42 metres (7 ft 11.3 in) in Stockholm on 30 June 1987. This mark is still the European record and ranks him third on the world all-time list behind Javier Sotomayor and Mutaz Essa Barshim. He twice held the world indoor record holder with marks of 2.38 m (1985) and 2.41 m (1987). He was the 1987 World Champion and three-times an Olympic medallist.
 Patrik Sjöberg during the Göteborg Book in September 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jan Niklas Patrik Sjöberg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 January 1965 Gothenburg, Sweden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 6.7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Sweden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Örgryte IS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 2.42 m 2.41 m (indoors) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
Sjöberg was born in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland and was a member of the Örgryte IS club.
Career
Sjöberg has a gold medal from the World Championships in Rome 1987 and has three Olympic medals: silver medals from Los Angeles 1984 and Barcelona 1992, and a bronze medal from Seoul 1988. Sjöberg is the only high jumper to have won medals in more than two Olympic Games. He won the 1985 World Indoor Games, is a four-time European Indoor champion and twice won the World Cup title.
Sjöberg received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1985. He has inspired many later Swedish high jumpers, most notably Kajsa Bergqvist, Linus Thörnblad, Staffan Strand, and Stefan Holm. His world record of 2.42 m was broken 15 months later, when, on the eve of the Seoul Summer Olympics, Javier Sotomayor jumped 2.43 m in September 1988 at a meet in Spain.
Sjoberg competed as a celebrity dancer on Let's Dance 2014, finishing fourth.
Personal life
In his 2011 autobiography, Sjöberg revealed that he had been sexually molested as a child by Viljo Nousiainen, a prominent Swedish athletics coach.[1]
He has a daughter, Isabelle.
Competition record
1Representing Europe
2No mark in the final
References
- Wallechinsky, David; Loucky, Jaime (2012). The Complete Book of the Olympics 2012. London: Aurum Press. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-1845136956.
Further reading
External links
- Patrik Sjöberg at World Athletics
- Patrik Sjöberg at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Men's high jump records - IAAF
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Igor Paklin |
Men's High Jump World Record Holder 30 June 1987 – 8 September 1988 |
Succeeded by Javier Sotomayor |
| Preceded by Igor Paklin |
Men's High Jump European Record Holder 30 June 1987– (shared with  Bohdan Bondarenko from 14 June 2014) |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Gunde Svan |
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal 1985 |
Succeeded by Tomas Johansson |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Igor Paklin |
Men's High Jump Best Year Performance 1987 |
Succeeded by Javier Sotomayor |
Authority control  |
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