Stefan Holm

Stefan Christian Holm (born 25 May 1976) is a retired Swedish high jumper. He won an Olympic gold medal, a silver in the World Championships, and one silver and one bronze medal in the European Championships. His personal records are 2.37 m (7 ft 9+1⁄4 in) (outdoors, set 2008) and 2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in) (indoors, set 2005). Clearing the bar 59 centimeters (23 in) over his own height, he currently holds the world record for height differential, held jointly with American Franklin Jacobs.

Stefan Holm
Stefan Holm during the Swedish Sports Awards inside the Stockholm Globe Arena in January 2014
Personal information
Full nameStefan Christian Holm
Born (1976-05-25) 25 May 1976
Forshaga, Sweden
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
ChildrenMelwin Lycke Holm
Sport
Country Sweden
EventHigh jump
ClubKils AIK
Retired2008
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)2.37 m
2.40 m (indoors)
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 0
World Championships 0 1 0
World Indoor Championships 4 0 0
European Championships 0 1 1
European Indoor Championships 2 1 0
Continental Cup 0 0 0
Total 7 3 1
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2004 AthensHigh jump
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2003 ParisHigh jump
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2001 LisbonHigh jump
Gold medal – first place2003 BirminghamHigh jump
Gold medal – first place2004 BudapestHigh jump
Gold medal – first place2008 ValenciaHigh jump
European Championships
Silver medal – second place2002 MunichHigh jump
Bronze medal – third place2006 GothenburgHigh jump
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2005 MadridHigh jump
Gold medal – first place2007 BirminghamHigh jump
Silver medal – second place2002 ViennaHigh jump
World Athletics Final
Gold medal – first place2004 Monte CarloHigh jump
Silver medal – second place2003 Monte CarloHigh jump
Silver medal – second place2007 StuttgartHigh jump
Silver medal – second place2008 StuttgartHigh jump
Bronze medal – third place2005 Monte CarloHigh jump
Bronze medal – third place2006 StuttgartHigh jump

Holm is currently coach of Swedish high jumper Sofie Skoog.

Biography

His inspiration for high-jumping began when he was 8 years old. He saw a Swedish high-jumping legend, and former world-record holder, Patrik Sjöberg, compete on television.[1]

He set an indoor personal best of 2.36 m (7 ft 8+3⁄4 in) in 2003 to win the Hochsprung mit Musik meeting, and managed to reach the same height outdoors the following year while winning the Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting Eberstadt. In 2004, Holm won the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with a jump of 2.36 and was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.[2] This year Holm also won the Jerring Award.[3]

Holm finished 4th at the 2008 Summer Olympics with a leap of 2.32 m. On 13 September 2008 he announced his retirement from the sport. Holm ended his 20-year career with a second place at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.[4]

He briefly returned to high jump competition in 2010 for a charity event: the Auto Lounge Comeback competition in Sweden. As his main rival Patrik Sjöberg had a knee injury, Holm agreed to jump off his wrong foot to even the score. He beat Sjöberg in the wrong-footed faceoff and went back to his normal takeoff to jump 2.15 m for third behind Ukhov and Donald Thomas.[5]

He became an IOC member at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September 2013.[6] In October 2019, he announced he would leave his seat following the 2020 Summer Olympics.[7]

On his 40th birthday in May 2016, Holm set a new Swedish veteran record for 40-year-olds (M40). With 2.06 m he broke the previous record of 2.05 m, which had been held by Egon Nilsson for almost 50 years.[8]

Holm's son is Melwin Lycke Holm, winner of the 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships in the high jump.[9]

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
Representing  Sweden
1993 European Junior Championships San Sebastián, Spain 11th 2.06 m
1994 World Junior Championships Lisbon, Portugal 7th 2.10 m
1995 European Junior Championships Nyíregyháza, Hungary 6th 2.17 m
1997 World Indoor Championships Paris, France 8th 2.25 m
1998 European Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 19th (q) 2.20 m
European Championships Budapest, Hungary 7th 2.27 m
1999 World Indoor Championships Maebashi, Japan 6th 2.25 m
Universiade Palma de Mallorca, Spain 4th 2.25 m
World Championships Seville, Spain 10th 2.25 m
2000 European Indoor Championships Ghent, Belgium 4th 2.32 m
Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 4th[10] 2.32 m
2001 World Indoor Championships Lisbon, Portugal 1st 2.32 m
World Championships Edmonton, Canada 4th 2.30 m
Goodwill Games Brisbane, Australia 1st 2.33 m
2002 European Indoor Championships Vienna, Austria 2nd 2.30 m
European Championships Munich, Germany 2nd 2.29 m
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 1st 2.35 m
World Championships Paris, France 2nd 2.32 m
2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 2.35 m
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 1st[10] 2.36 m
2005 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 1st 2.40 m
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 7th 2.29 m
2006 World Indoor Championships Moscow, Russia 5th 2.30 m
European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 3rd 2.34 m
2007 European Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 1st 2.34 m
World Championships Osaka, Japan 4th 2.33 m
2008 World Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 1st 2.36 m
Olympic Games Beijing, China 4th[10] 2.32 m

Other victories
  • 1998: Berlin (IAAF Golden League-meet) - 2.28 m
  • 1999: Lahti (European Cup first league) - 2.27 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 2.29 m
  • 2000: Gateshead (European cup super league) - 2.28 m
  • 2001: Helsinki (Grand Prix) - 2.26 m; Vaasa (European cup first league) - 2.28 m; Brisbane (Goodwill Games) - 2.33 m
  • 2002: Doha (Grand Prix) - 2.28 m; Seville (European cup first league) - 2.33 m; Zürich (Golden League-meet) - 2.35 m; Rieti (Grand Prix) - 2.29m; Paris (Grand Prix Final) - 2.31 m
  • 2003: Lappeenranta (European cup first league) - 2.24 m; Rethymno (athletics meet) - 2.34 m; Gateshead (Grand Prix) - 2.30 m
  • 2004: Bydgoszcz (European cup super league) - 2.32 m; Iraklio (Grand Prix) - 2.33 m; Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting Eberstadt) - 2.36 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 2.33 m; Monaco (World Athletics Final) - 2.33 m
  • 2005: Gävle (European cup first league) - 2.27 m; Paris Saint-Denis (Golden League) - 2.32 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 2.33 m; Oslo (Golden League) - 2.29 m
  • 2006: London (Grand Prix) - 2.34 m
  • 2007: Vaasa (European cup first league) - 2.30 m; Lausanne (Grand Prix) - 2.28 m; London (Grand Prix) - 2.32 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 2.35 m
  • 2008: Istanbul (European cup first league) - 2.25 m; Athens (Grand Prix) - 2.37 m; Stockholm (Grand Prix) - 2.30 m

References
  1. "Sjoberg's heir pays tribute to Nousiainen". IAAF. 7 March 2004. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. "Stefan Holm". Memim Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. Värmland, P4 (17 January 2023). "Har Stefan Holm Jerringpriset som chipsskål?". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 April 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. "High jumper Holm announces retirement". 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. "Holm prevails over Sjöberg in 'wrong foot' High Jump". World Athletics. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  6. "IOC Session elects nine new members". IOC. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  7. Tobias Dahlberg (23 October 2019). "Holm avslutar sina uppdrag". SVT Sport (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  8. "Stefan Holm satte svenskt rekord - DN.SE". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 25 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  9. "Holm continues family legacy with high jump gold in Jerusalem". European Athletics.
  10. "Olympic Results". The International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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