Sweden’s high jump star Kajsa Bergqvist had been devastated in July 2004 when she tore her Achilles tendon in a competition in Bastad and was forced to miss the 2004 Athens Olympics. However she recovered from the career-threatening injury in time to compete in the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, where she courageously came back to win the gold medal.
Bergqvist, who had won bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the previous two World Championships, refused to buckle in Helsinki despite a strong challenge from young American Chaunte Howard, producing a gold medal winning jump of 2.02 metres.
A versatile athlete, Kajsa’s interest in the high jump began at her club Turebergs FK when she was 15. Despite a reasonable amount of success, including the bronze medal in Sydney, by 2004 she had begun to be concerned about her lack of progress and she decided to a group of athletes, including Olympic gold medal triple jumper Christian Olsson, who were being trained by Yannick Tregaro.
The impact was immediate. In addition to her success in Helsinki, She continued her success in 2006, breaking the world indoor record in Arnstadt, Germany, with a new mark of 2.08 metres.
