Finnish pole vaulter Saga Andersson

Saga Andersson is a track and field athlete from Finland. She has won multiple Finnish indoor national championships in the pole vault and also competed at the 2018 Tampere IAAF World U20 Championships, finishing 7th in the final.

Saga Andersson was born on March 30, 2000, in Myllypuro, eastern Helsinki, Finland. She started coaching athletics and pole vaulting to her father Bjorn Andersson together with her younger sister Silja Andersson, who also pole vaults competitively.

Saga Andersson started her competitive career already in 2012, winning the gold at the local Salo U14 Pole Vault Meeting and the silver at the Raasepori U18 Meeting.

During the next season she continue gaining experience at junior and youth local events, finishing 5th at the Espoo Youth Athletics Games in 2013 and winning the gold at the Raisio Finnish U15 Championships in 2014.

In 2015, Saga Andersson competed at the Tbilisi 13th European Youth Olympic Festival, finishing 4th with 3.80m. During the season she cleared three times 3.90m, but still want to able to cover the 4-meter mark. Meanwhile, she earned a lot of honors and medals from local championships and earned the pole vault gold at the Oulu Finnish U16 Championships.

Saga Andersson started the 2016 season by finishing 6th at the Pajulahti Pole Vault Meeting and winning some local events, before debuting at the Tampere Finnish Indoor Championships, finishing 5th and narrowly missing the medals. Later, she earned the silver at the Helsinki Finnish U18 Indoor Championships, before being able to cover the 4.00m in Somero. Later she succeeded to clear even 4.15m, which was her personal best at that time. Saga Andersson qualified for the Tbilisi European U18 Championships, finishing 4th with 3.95m. At the Oulu Finnish Championships, Saga Andersson qualified for the finals and finished 7th with the modest 3.75m. By the end of the year she earned the gold at the Kajaani Finnish U17 Championships again overcoming the 4-meter mar and clearing 4.05m in the final.

In 2017, Saga Andersson won her first national title triumphing with the pole vault gold at the Jyvaskyla Finnish Indoor Championships, clearing 4.23m. At the Turku Finnish U18 Indoor Championships, she even improved her personal best and covered 4.25m, winning again the gold. At the prestigious Turku Paavo Nurmi Games, she finished 5th after clearing 4.11m, but won the silver at the Kuortane Elittikisat, improving again her personal best to 4.32. Moreover, the season continue even better for her, as she finished 4th at the Grosseto European U20 Championships and alter at local Vantaa U18 Meeting cleared 4.41m. At the end of the season, she won another title at the Iisalmi Finnish U18 Championships.

Saga Andersson had another great season in 2018, competing at the Tampere IAAF World U20 Championships and finished 7th in the final with 4.20m. Meanwhile, she won another national title at the Helsinki Finnish Indoor Championships, but also won the bronze at the Jyvaskyla Finnish Championships.

In 2019, Saga Andersson had a fall in her form although maintained covering the 4-meter mark. She competed at the Boras European U20 Championships and reached the final, but failed to record successful attempt. However, during the season she succeeded to earn the gold at the Kristiansand Nordic U20 Match and the Porvoo Finnish U20 Championships.

The short 2020 season additionally lowered the form of Finnish athlete Saga Andersson. She finished 4th at the Stockholm Just Pole Vault and earned the silver at the Espoo Liikkuu Games and Helsinki Finnish U23 Indoor Championships, but hardly recorded success attempts in the other meetings or her result was in range 4.00-4.12m. At the Turku Finnish Championships, Saga Andersson earned the pole vault bronze with 4.04m and in the end of the season finished 5th at the Finnkampen with 4.12m, which repeated her season best.

In 2021, Saga Andersson started the season strongly, by winning the silver at the Myllyn kutsukilpailu 4 with 4.11m, and later in February won the silver at the Jyvaskyla Finnish Indoor Championships, clearing the modest 4.01m. Later at the Pyrinnon kesakirmaisut in Tampere she earned the gold by covering a season best of 4.15m, but in the next event she competed, Harju Cup 2, cleared 4.31m. By the end of the season, she returned to the good results and regularly covered over 4.20m, winning the silver at the Kuortane Games with 4.21m, the bronze at the Vaasa Finnish Championships with 4.16m, and finishing 6th at the Tallinn European Athletics U23 Championships with 4.25m. Moreover, she earned the bronze at the Motonet GP in Lahti and Kalevan Kisat in Tampere, with 4.25m and 4.31m, respectively, as well as the silver at the Finnkampen in Stockholm with 4.26m.

Saga Andersson had a very strong 2022 season, improving her personal best to 4.45m. During the season she competed at the Eugene World Athletics Championships and Munich European Athletics Championships, but failing to overcome the qualifications in the both, although clearing 4.35m and 4.40m, respectively, which were close to her personal best. Meanwhile, she won another national title at the Kuopio Finnish Indoor Championships and also the silver at the Oulu Finnish Championships. She won the gold at the Energia-kisa, where set her personal best of 4.45m, as well as Folksam GP Soderhamn, but also earned the silver at the Uppsala Nordic Indoor Match, bronze at the Espoo Motonet GP and Kalevan Kisat in Joensuu.

In 2023, Saga Andersson kept the strong momentum from the previous season and continue recording strong results. She started the season by winning the silver at the Seivashyppy-talvikarnevaali in Lahti with the modest 4.05m, but in the next event she competed, Avoimet Helsy-hallit in Helsinki, already clearned 4.30m for the gold. At the prestigious Tampere Indoor Meeting, Saga Andersson won the silver with 4.38m, while at the Helsinki Finnish Indoor Championships, covered 4.44m again for the silver. She earned the silver at the Copenhagen Nordic Senior Championships, improving again her personal best to 4.50m and continue winning honors by triumphing with the gold at the Tilastopajacup 2 in Turku and earning the silver at the Motonet GP in Oulu and the bronze at the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games. She won the silver at the Lahti Finnish Championships and competed at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, but failed to record a successful attempt at the qualifications.

Saga Andersson continue competing at high level in 2024 and started the season by winning the bronze at the Baerum Nordic indoor match with 4.38m. At the national championships, she won the bronze at the Tampere Finnish Indoor Championships with 4.25m and the silver at the Vaasa Finnish Championships with 4.45m, which was her season best. Meanwhile, she competed at the Roma European Athletics Championships, but again failed to overcome the qualifications. As her main achievements during the season are also the gold at the Espoo Liikkuu Games and Eltsun kansalliset in Helsinki, as well as the silver at the Finnkampen in Helsinki and the bronze at the Motonet GP – Oulu.

Saga Andersson started the 2025 strongly and highly determined to improve her results and make new achievements. In the first days of the year she won the gold medals at the Pole Vault GP Tallinn and Kuortaneen seivaskisa, both clearing 4.30m. At the Huddinge Scandic Indoor Games, she triumphed with the gold and cleared 4.46m, while at the Kupittaan kisat in Turku covered 4.47m again for the gold. She is fully determined to reach the finals of the Apeldoorn European Athletics Indoor Championships and show her best in the pole vault event.

Saga Andersson in numbers

3x National titles
3x Nordic Championships medalist (2x silver, 1x bronze)
Personal best: 4.50m (pole vault)

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