Kajsa Bergqvist - up and away to 2m in Sollentuna (© Hasse Sjögren)
Stockholm, SwedenEuropean women’s High Jump champion Kajsa Bergqvist of Sweden who made a remarkable comeback from injury and has had a brilliant start to the season and remains the world leader on 2.01m, will face American Chaunte Howard at the DN Galan - IAAF Super Grand Prix - on Tuesday 26 July in Stockholm’s Olympic stadium.
In Belgium this week, Howard, 21, became only the third athlete this outdoor season to jump two metres, first tying her personal best of 1.98 and then going on to clear 2.00.
“I knew I had a two-metre jump in my legs,” a delighted Chaunte said. "The secret to a good jump is to be relaxed and that I was!”
Chaunte was second at the USA Championships a month ago and so is in the World Championships squad for Helsinki (6 – 14 August). She was eliminated in the Olympic qualification round in Athens last year, and her best achievement is winning the National College Championships, (NCAA) outdoors 2004 and indoors this year. Those will be her last as she turned professional in June.
Bergqvist has won all six competitions after her successful comeback from Achilles surgery and has cleared two metres in four of them.
Hestrie Cloete of South Africa, the reigning World champion, who is now retired, has the Stockholm Stadium record with 2.01 from 2003.
Keijo Liimatainen for the IAAF
