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 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 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 is also a former two-time world indoor record holder with marks of 2.38 m (1985) and 2.41 m (1987). He is the 1987 World Champion and a three-time Olympic medallist.

Patrik Sjöberg

Patrik Sjöberg 2013
Personal information
Full name	Jan Niklas Patrik Sjöberg^[1]
Born	(1965-01-05) 5 January 1965 (age 58)^[1] Gothenburg, Sweden^[1]
Height	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)^[1]
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)^[1]
Sport
Country	Sweden
Club	Örgryte IS
Retired	1999
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	2.42 m 2.41 m (indoors)
Medal record Men’s Athletics Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles High jump 1992 Barcelona High jump 1988 Seoul High jump World Championships 1987 Rome High jump World Indoor Championships 1985 Paris High jump 1993 Toronto High jump 1989 Budapest High jump European Indoor Championships 1985 Athens High jump 1987 Lievin High jump 1988 Budapest High jump 1992 Genoa High jump

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.

Sjöberg competed as a celebrity dancer in Let's Dance 2014, finishing fourth.

Sjöberg, who is a survivor of child sexual abuse, is co-founder of the website Dumpen.se, a website that exposes pedophiles and discusses issues relating to child grooming and sexual abuse.

Personal life

In his 2011 autobiography, Sjöberg revealed that he had been sexually molested as a child by his coach Viljo Nousiainen, a prominent Swedish athletics coach.^[2]

He has a daughter, Isabelle.

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing   Sweden
1981	European Junior Championships	Utrecht, Netherlands	8th	2.16 m
1982	European Indoor Championships	Milan, Italy	10th	2.22 m
1983	European Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	–	NM
	European Junior Championships	Schwechat, Austria	3rd	2.21 m
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	11th	2.23 m
1984	European Indoor Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	7th	2.24 m
	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	2nd	2.33 m
1985	World Indoor Games	Paris, France	1st	2.32 m
	European Indoor Championships	Piraeus, Greece	1st	2.35 m
	World Cup	Canberra, Australia	1st	2.31 m^1
1986	European Indoor Championships	Madrid, Spain	6th	2.24 m
	European Championships	Stuttgart, West Germany	6th	2.25 m
1987	European Indoor Championships	Liévin, France	1st	2.38 m
	World Indoor Championships	Indianapolis, United States	1st (q)	2.24 m^2
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	1st	2.38 m
1988	European Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	2.39 m
	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	3rd	2.36 m
1989	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	3rd	2.35 m
	World Cup	Barcelona, Spain	1st	2.34 m^1
1991	World Indoor Championships	Seville, Spain	13th	2.24 m
	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	7th	2.31 m
1992	European Indoor Championships	Genoa, Italy	1st	2.38 m
	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	2nd	2.34 m
1993	World Indoor Championships	Toronto, Canada	2nd	2.39 m
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	6th	2.32 m

¹Representing Europe
²No mark in the final

References

1. "Patrik Sjöberg". Olympedia.org. OlyMADmen. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
2. Wallechinsky, David; Loucky, Jaime (2012). The Complete Book of the Olympics 2012. London: Aurum Press. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-1845136956.

Further reading

• Sjöberg, Patrik; Sjöberg, Birgitta (1994). Att leva på hoppet (in Swedish). Sportförlaget. ISBN 978-9188540485.
• Sjöberg, Patrik; Lutteman, Markus (2011). Det du inte såg (in Swedish). Norstedts Förlag. ISBN 978-9113034300.

External links

• Patrik Sjöberg at World Athletics  
• 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
Preceded by   Hollis Conway (i)   Javier Sotomayor   Charles Austin	Men's High Jump Best Year Performance 1992 (i)	Succeeded by   Javier Sotomayor