Stefan Holm

Stefan Christian Holm (born 25 May 1976) is a retired Swedish high jumper. He won an Olympic gold medal, a silver in the World Championships, and one silver and one bronze medal in the European Championships. His personal records are 2.37 m (7 ft 9+1⁄4 in) (outdoors, set 2008) and 2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in) (indoors, set 2005). Clearing the bar 59 centimeters (23 in) over his own height, he currently holds, jointly with American Franklin Jacobs, the world record for height differential.

Holm is currently coach of his son Melwin Lycke Holm.

Biography

His inspiration for high-jumping began when he was 8 years old. He saw a Swedish high-jumping legend, and former world-record holder, Patrik Sjöberg, compete on television.

He set an indoor personal best of 2.36 m (7 ft 8+3⁄4 in) in 2003 to win the Hochsprung mit Musik meeting, and managed to reach the same height outdoors the following year while winning the Internationales Hochsprung-Meeting Eberstadt. In 2004, Holm won the 2004 Summer Olympics high jump gold in Athens with a jump of 2.36 and was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. This year Holm also won the Jerring Award.

Holm finished 4th at the 2008 Summer Olympics with a leap of 2.32 m. On 13 September 2008 he announced his retirement from the sport. Holm ended his 20-year career with a second place at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.