# Patrik Sjöberg

Jan Niklas Patrik Sjöberg (Swedish pronunciation:; born 5 January 1965) is a Swedish former high jumper. He broke the world record with 2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in) in Stockholm on 30 June 1987. This mark is still the European record and ranks him third on the world all-time list behind Javier Sotomayor and Mutaz Essa Barshim. He is also a former two-time world indoor record holder with marks of 2.38 m (1985) and 2.41 m (1987). He is the 1987 World Champion and a three-time Olympic medallist.

## Early life

Sjöberg was born in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, and was a member of the Örgryte IS club.

## Career

Sjöberg has a gold medal from the World Championships in Rome 1987 and has three Olympic medals: silver medals from Los Angeles 1984 and Barcelona 1992, and a bronze medal from Seoul 1988. Sjöberg is the only high jumper to have won medals in more than two Olympic Games. He won the 1985 World Indoor Games, is a four-time European Indoor champion and twice won the World Cup title.
Sjöberg received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1985. He has inspired many later Swedish high jumpers, most notably Kajsa Bergqvist, Linus Thörnblad, Staffan Strand, and Stefan Holm. His world record of 2.42 m was broken 15 months later, when, on the eve of the Seoul Summer Olympics, Javier Sotomayor jumped 2.43 m in September 1988 at a meet in Spain.
Sjöberg competed as a celebrity dancer in Let's Dance 2014, finishing fourth.
Sjöberg, who is a survivor of child sexual abuse, is co-founder of the website Dumpen.se, a website that exposes pedophiles and discusses issues relating to child grooming and sexual abuse.

## Personal life

In his 2011 autobiography, Sjöberg revealed that he had been sexually molested as a child by his coach Viljo Nousiainen, a prominent Swedish athletics coach.
He has a daughter, Isabelle.

## Competition record

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
| Representing Sweden |||||
| 1981 | European Junior Championships | Utrecht, Netherlands | 8th | 2.16 m |
| 1982 | European Indoor Championships | Milan, Italy | 10th | 2.22 m |
| 1983 | European Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | – | NM |
| 1983 | European Junior Championships | Schwechat, Austria | 3rd | 2.21 m |
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 11th | 2.23 m |
| 1984 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 7th | 2.24 m |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 2nd | 2.33 m |
| 1985 | World Indoor Games | Paris, France | 1st | 2.32 m |
| 1985 | European Indoor Championships | Piraeus, Greece | 1st | 2.35 m |
| 1985 | World Cup | Canberra, Australia | 1st | 2.31 m$^1$ |
| 1986 | European Indoor Championships | Madrid, Spain | 6th | 2.24 m |
| 1986 | European Championships | Stuttgart, West Germany | 6th | 2.25 m |
| 1987 | European Indoor Championships | Liévin, France | 1st | 2.38 m |
| 1987 | World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, United States | 1st (q) | 2.24 m$^2$ |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 1st | 2.38 m |
| 1988 | European Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st | 2.39 m |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 3rd | 2.36 m |
| 1989 | World Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 3rd | 2.35 m |
| 1989 | World Cup | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | 2.34 m$^1$ |
| 1991 | World Indoor Championships | Seville, Spain | 13th | 2.24 m |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 7th | 2.31 m |
| 1992 | European Indoor Championships | Genoa, Italy | 1st | 2.38 m |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 2nd | 2.34 m |
| 1993 | World Indoor Championships | Toronto, Canada | 2nd | 2.39 m |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 6th | 2.32 m |
$^1$Representing Europe $^2$No mark in the final