Munich. Kajsa Bergqvist won her first outdoor championship, when she jumped home at the European Championships in Munich in 2002.
Twenty years later, she’s back.
As captain of the national team.
– But when I was inside the arena, I couldn’t avoid jumping on the high carpet and jumping a bit. Everything is back, she says.
The European Commission in Munich 2002 was the beginning of what could grow into a marvel of Swedish athletics.
He went to Kajsa, to young Christian Olsson in three steps and Carolina Cloft who came straight from the JVM gold in Jamaica and won her first major title.
Stefan Holm took the silver in the men’s height, with Staffan Strand taking third.
An air start that then crowned three Olympic gold medals in Athens 2004, during a continuous rain of medals that lasted until the 2007 World Cup in Osaka.
Mondo the star
Now there is a bit of a restart in Swedish athletics, with Mundo Duplantis as the locomotive that will pull others with him towards a new era of greatness.
The best EC of the modern era was in Gothenburg 2006. Then we got 69 championship points. We’re not there yet, but I said in our first team meeting that the goal is to beat the 50 we took here in Munich four years ago. We have a strong team and there are many who have the opportunity.
What are your goals in terms of medals?
The realistic goal is three or four medals. Then I include Perseus Karlström, as I think it’s part of athletics already. If we had a little more flow, there could be more, but that’s where we’ll put the tape.
Kajsa’s gold came in the same Olympic stadium on a cold, rainy evening on August 11, exactly 20 years ago.
– Yes, I think it was ten degrees and twelve degrees with heavy rain. These were the worst conditions I’ve ever competed in, Cagsa says.
The final hike was dramatic, as Marina Koptsova chased Kagsa.
Won the drama final
The Russian had two early flats at 1.92, and when Kajsa got 1.94 and 1.96 in the first, Kuptsova chose to stand on both heights because she couldn’t overtake the Swede even if she passed.
Now it’s all set at 1.98, as Kajsa won on her last attempt and bounced gleefully from the carpet.
What can you do as a captain to lift the team after twenty years?
– He created a good atmosphere around the team in the first place. There is a lot to deal with logistically too, with such a large team. So it’s so great that I’ve already been able to win two championships this year.
How many were there in the end?
– She was 51 at the end, when Moa Hjelmer got a sore throat and ended up at home. You may recover in time for the 4x100m relay, but we have reserves in place.
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