Katerina Stefanidi
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Katerina Stefanidi (Greek: Κατερίνα Στεφανίδη; born 4 February 1990[3]) is a Greek pole vaulter. She won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has also competed at the 2012 London and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Stefanidi was the 2017 World champion and earned bronze at the 2019 World Championships. At the European Athletics Championships, she won two gold medals (2016, 2018) and two silvers (2014, 2022). Indoors, she is a two-time World Indoor bronze medallist from 2016 and 2018, was the 2017 European Indoor champion and earned silver at the 2015 European Indoor Championships.
At age 15, Stefanidi became the
Personal life
Katerina Stefanidi was born to athletes Georgios Stefanidis and Zoi Vareli, who competed internationally in the triple jump and sprints, respectively. Her younger sister, Georgia, is also a pole vaulter. In 2015, she married Mitchell Krier, her future coach and also a former pole vaulter. She lives in the United States.[6][7]
Career
Junior level: 2005–2010
Stefanidi attended the 1st High School of
At Stanford, Stefanidi broke the freshman school record with a leap of 4.13 m, under the guidance of coach Kris Mack and head coach
2011–2013
In 2011, she was second at the NCAA Indoors with 4.40 m. That same year she defended her Pac-10 Conference title (4.28 m) and was third at the NCAA Outdoors with 4.40 m. She placed second at the European Under-23 Championships in Ostrava, Czechia and third at Universiade in Shenzhen, China, after jumping a personal best of 4.45 m in both competitions to tie the Greek U23 record.
Her senior year, Stefanidi placed third at the NCAA Indoors (4.35 m). In the 2012 outdoor season, she was again the Pac-12 Conference champion in Eugene, Oregon, where she broke her own school record with 4.48 m. A month later she became the NCAA champion in Des Moines, Iowa, clearing 4.45 m. Her season's best, 4.51 m, achieved in July in Livermore, California, is the Greek under-23 record.
In 2013, she faced some injury problems, thus not improving her personal best, with a 4.45 m season's best.
2014–2015
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In the 2014 indoor season, she improved her personal best to 4.55 m. In the 2014 outdoor season, she improved her lifetime best to 4.57 m and then established even better best of 4.60 m at the
At the 2014 European Championships held in Zürich, Switzerland she had an easy qualification, while in the final she had her first success in major events by winning the silver medal with 4.60 m, losing the gold medal in the very last jump of the event to Anzhelika Sidorova. She later won the Birmingham Diamond League meeting with 4.57 m and took the third place at the circuit's final held in Zürich with 4.67 m. With these results, she took the second place overall at the Diamond League series, only behind Fabiana Murer. During 2014, she jumped 10 times above 4.55 m, while her pre-2014 PB was 4.51 m.
During the 2015 indoor season, she set a personal best four times (4.56 m, 4.60 m, 4.61 m and 4.77 m, which was temporarily the national record). At the
2016
During training season and outside of competitions, Stefanidi trained at SPIRE Institute and Academy, a United States Olympic Training Center in Geneva, Ohio.[9]
In the 2016 indoor season, she set a national record with a huge leap of 4.90 m at the Millrose Games, which ranked her at fourth place of all time in the event, tied with Demi Payne who cleared the same height at the same meeting. At the World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, Stefanidi won the bronze medal with a jump of 4.80 m. In the following months she continuously improved her personal outdoor record (4.73, 4.75 and 4.77 m), and in Filothei, she set a Greek record of 4.86 m. In July at the Amsterdam European Championships, she won the gold medal with 4.81 m, taking the competition record from Yelena Isinbayeva.
At the
2017–2018
During the 2017 indoor season, she became the
In 2018, Stefanidi increased her collection of medals, taking the third place (4.80 m) at the
2019–present
In 2019, she won the
In 2020, as the
Achievements
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International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | World Youth Championships | Marrakesh, Morocco | 1st | 4.30 m CR |
| 2007 | World Youth Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2nd | 4.25 m SB |
| 2008 | World Junior Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 3rd | 4.25 m SB |
| 2011 | European U23 Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2nd | 4.45 m NU23R |
| Universiade | Shenzhen, China | 3rd | 4.45 m | |
| 2012 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | – (f) | NM |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 24th (q) | 4.25 m | |
| 2013 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 13th (q) | 4.36 m |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zurich , Switzerland
|
2nd | 4.60 m |
| 2015 | European Indoor Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | 2nd | 4.75 m |
| World Championships | Beijing, China | 15th (q) | 4.45 m | |
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships
|
Portland, OR, United States | 3rd | 4.80 m
|
| European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1st | 4.81 m CR | |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1st | 4.85 m | |
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 1st | 4.85 m WL |
| European Team Championships Super League | Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France | 1st | 4.70 | |
| World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 4.91 m WL NR | |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 3rd | 4.80 m |
| European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 1st | 4.85 m CR | |
| Continental Cup | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2nd | 4.85 m CR | |
| 2019 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, Scotland | 4th | 4.65 m |
| European Team Championships Super League | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1st | 4.70 m | |
World Championships
|
Doha, Qatar | 3rd | 4.85 m SB
| |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | 4.80 m =SB |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 5th | 4.70 m SB |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 2nd | 4.75 m SB | |
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 4th | 4.60 m |
| European Team Championships 1st Division | Chorzow , Poland
|
8th | 4.40 m | |
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary
|
– | NM | |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 7th | 4.55 m |
Circuit wins and titles
- 2019
- 2014 (1): Birmingham British Grand Prix
- London Anniversary Games
- 2017 (6): Doha Diamond League (EL), Rome (WL), London, Birmingham, Zürich Weltklasse (DLR), Brussels Memorial Van Damme
- 2018 (2): Lausanne Athletissima (SB), Zürich
- 2019 (3): Shanghai Diamond League (SB), Birmingham, Brussels
Progression
| Performance | Venue | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.91 m | London, UK | 2017, 6 August | NR |
| 4.86 m | Filothei (Athens), Greece | 2016, 8 June | NR |
| 4.77 m | Birmingham, UK | 2016, 5 June | |
| 4.75 m | Rabat, Morocco | 2016, 22 May | |
| 4.90 m i | New York (Armory), USA | 2016, 20 February | NRi |
| 4.80 m i | New York (Armory), USA | 2016, 20 February | |
| 4.77 m i | Flagstaff (AZ), USA | 2015, 20 February | NR |
| 4.71 m | Monaco, Monaco | 2014, 18 July | =NR |
| 4.65 m | Glasgow, UK | 2014, 12 July | |
| 4.60 m | New York City, USA | 2014, 15 June | |
| 4.57 m | Chula Vista (CA), USA
|
2014, 30 May | |
| 4.55 m i | Flagstaff (AZ), USA | 2014, 25 January | |
| 4.51 m | Livermore (CA), USA | 2012, 16 June | NU23R |
| 4.48 m | Eugene, USA | 2012, 13 May | NU23R |
| 4.45 m | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2011, 17 July | =NU23R |
| 4.41 m i | Seattle, USA | 2011, 15 January | |
| 4.30 m | Marrakech , Morocco
|
2005, 16 July | |
| 4.37 m i | Peania , Greece
|
2005, 20 February | previous WU18B |
| 4.14 m | Korinthos , Greece
|
2004, 3 July | |
| 3.95 m i | Peania , Greece
|
2004, 17 January | |
| 3.90 m | Chania, Greece | 2003, 9 June | |
| 3.60 m i | Athens, Greece | 2003, 22 February | |
| 3.40 m | Athens, Greece | 2002, 9 June |
References
- ^ Katerina Stefanidi. Sports reference
- ^ a b Ekaterini Stefanidi. rio2016.com
- ^ a b "Aikaterini STEFANIDI – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Σταθερά στην κορυφή η Στεφανίδη". www.novasports.gr. 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Κατερίνα Στεφανίδη: Παγκόσμιο "φαινόμενο" η κορυφαία Ελληνίδα όλων των εποχών!". www.avgi.gr. 14 August 2017.
- ^ Vitsilogiannis, Vassilios Nicolaos (7 May 2022). "Interview With Golden Greek Olympian, Katerina Stefanidi". Greek City Times. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ a b Kampouris, Nick (5 August 2021). "Stefanidi Comes in Fourth in Pole Vault; Kyriakopoulou Eighth". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ 18 Sign Letter of Intent to Compete at Stanford. gostanford.com (14 February 2008)
- ^ Dennis, Justin (14 July 2017). "Olympic champion talks training in Harpersfield". Star Beacon. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Stefanidi wins women's garden pole vault". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Katerina Stefanidi Returns to SPIRE for Training — SPIRE Wire". SPIRE Institute and Academy. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ "Fourth place for Stefanidi in pole vault final". kathimerini. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
External links
- Katerina Stefanidi at World Athletics
- Katerina Stefanidi at Olympedia
- Katerina Stefanidi at Olympics.com
- Katerina Stefanidi at the Hellenic Olympic Committee
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European Athletics Championships champions in women's pole vault | |
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European Athletics Indoor Champions in women's pole vault | |
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