Kajsa Bergqvist after winning the women's high jump (© Getty Images)
Sweden’s Kajsa Bergqvist, the current World Indoor and European outdoor champion in the High Jump is the latest addition to the start list of the IAAF Super Grand Prix Meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic on 12 June 2003.
Speaking by phone from her base in Monte Carlo to Czech journalists, the Swede confirmed that Ostrava will be her first European meet of the 2003 summer season.
”Before that, I will compete in Eugene at the Prefontaine Memorial (May 24). This is maybe the most important season of my career. My main goal is to succeed at the World Championships in Paris. I know there is also the Golden League with the High Jump as a Golden event. But that it is not the priority. That could change of course, if, for example I were able to win the first three meetings. Then I would start to think about the Golden League. I’m planning around 15 competitions in 2003, seven or eight before Paris,” said the current IAAF Rankings leader (since Aug 19, 2002).
About her preparations for the outdoor season, Bergqvist said: “After Birmingham (World Indoors) I had a short vacation, and about week ago I started with my preparation for summer.”
The world record is not a closed book – “It's a tough record, but we are moving slowly. I think there are three or four of us who could break the record in the future. I hope we can come closer every year.”
She also admitted that the qualification situation in Birmingham, when she jumped the standard of 1.95 metres at her third and last attempt, with the bar very close to falling, “was a nightmare experience. But I learned my lesson. You must do everything at 100 percent, not halfway.”
The Ostrava organisers are hoping that she will be the first woman in the history of the meeting to jump over two metres. The current meeting record, from last year is 1.98m by Marina Kuptsova of Russia).
Alfons Juck for the IAAF
