Swedish pole vaulter Michaela Meijer

Michaela Meijer is a prominent athlete from Sweden, specializing in the discipline of pole vault. She has achieved notable success, including silver medals at the European U23 Championships and the World U18 Championships. Furthermore, she has competed in prestigious events such as the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, the Rio 2016 Olympics, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Her best performances in pole vaulting are recorded at 4.83m outdoors and 4.75m indoors.

Born on July 30, 1993, in Gothenburg, Sweden, Meijer embarked on her athletic career at a young age, initially competing in sprints, hurdles, high jump, and long jump, before dedicating herself to pole vaulting.

In 2007, she started her competitive career by winning a bronze medal at the Halmstad Laxaspelen U18.

The young Swedish athlete continued to enhance her experience in athletics during the following season, securing gold medals at the Goteborg Varldsungdomspelen U16, Lerum Stonehill Games, and Malmo Pallaspelen U17 in 2008.

In 2009, Michaela Meijer made her debut at the national championship by participating in the Bollnas Swedish Indoor Championships, although she was unable to secure a successful attempt in the final. Nevertheless, during the outdoor season, she claimed her first national title at the Malmo Swedish Championships and also earned a silver medal at the Bressanone IAAF World Youth Championships. Additionally, she secured a silver medal at the Goteborg Folksam Challenge and a gold medal at both the Goteborg Varldsungdomsspelen and the Karlskrona Swedish U23 & Junior Championships.

In 2010, Michaela Meijer achieved a silver medal at the Falun Swedish Championships and competed in the Moncton IAAF World Junior Championships, where she did not succeed in the final round. She also won silver at the Helsinki FIN-SWE International Match and the Goteborg Pole Vault Meeting.

The following year, 2011, Michaela Meijer earned a bronze medal at the Gavle Swedish Championships and the Goteborg Folksam Grand Prix. Throughout the season, she achieved victory with a gold medal at the Helsinki FIN-SWE Match, the Copenhagen Nordic Junior Championships, and the Nivelles Meeting International Lotto Cup.

Michaela Meijer largely missed the 2012 season; however, she triumphed by winning the gold medal at the Bollnas Swedish Junior Indoor Championships, the silver at the Orebro Swedish Indoor Championships, and the bronze at the Karlskrona Rosenbomspelen.

In 2014, she made her return to track and field, where she claimed the bronze medal at the Goteborg Swedish Indoor Championships and the gold at the Malmo Atleticumspelen. During the outdoor season, Michaela Meijer earned the silver medal at the Umea Swedish Championships and the bronze at the Karlstad Folksam GP, in addition to winning gold at the Merksem Antwerp Athletics Gala. She also participated in the Braunschweig European Team Championships but did not secure a medal.

In 2015, Michaela Meijer achieved her most significant accolade to date by securing a silver medal at the Tallinn European U23 Championships. She made her debut in the Diamond League at the Stockholm BAUHAUS Athletics event, where she finished in seventh place. Throughout the season, she participated in the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, successfully qualifying for the finals; however, she was unable to record a valid attempt and consequently missed out on a medal. Despite this setback, she claimed gold at both the Goteborg Folksam GP and the Karlstad Folksam GP, as well as silver at the Soderhamn Swedish Championships and the Satra Swedish Indoor Championships. Additionally, she competed in the Praha European Indoor Championships.

In 2016, Michaela Meijer placed fifth at both the Amsterdam European Athletics Championships and the Diamond League’s London Müller Anniversary Games. She also represented her country at the Rio 2016 Olympics, although she did not advance to the final. During this season, she celebrated victory with a gold medal at the Malmo Swedish Indoor Championships, alongside a silver medal at both the Sollentuna Swedish Championships and the Sollentuna Folksam GP.

Michaela Meijer achieved her inaugural Diamond League medals in 2017, securing bronze at both the London Muller Anniversary Games and the Birmingham Muller Grand Prix. She participated in the London IAAF World Championships in Athletics and the Beograd European Indoor Championships, yet did not succeed in winning a medal. In contrast, she claimed gold at the Helsingborg Swedish Championships and silver at the Vaxjo Swedish Indoor Championships.

In 2019, Michaela Meijer earned silver at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm and the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku. She also took part in the Diamond League final at the AG Memorial Van Damme in Bruxelles, where she did not achieve a medal. Additionally, she secured silver at the Karlstad Swedish Championships and the Norrkoping Swedish Indoor Championships, while competing in the Glasgow European Indoor Championships and the Doha IAAF World Championships in Athletics, but once again fell short of medal placements.

Michaela Meijer distinguished herself in 2020 by winning a bronze medal at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm, a silver at the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike, and a gold at the Gala dei Castelli in Bellinzona. She also secured a bronze medal at the Uppsala Swedish Championships and a silver at the Vaxjo Swedish Indoor Championships.

In 2021, Michaela Meijer continued her impressive performance by winning another national title at the Malmo Swedish Indoor Championships, while also finishing in 9th place at the Torun European Athletics Indoor Championships. During the outdoor season, she claimed a bronze medal at the Finnkampen in Stockholm and participated in the Diamond League events, including the Muller British GP and the Bauhaus-Galan in Stockholm. Furthermore, she represented her country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, although she did not advance to the finals.

In 2022, Michaela Meijer secured a silver medal at the Finnkampen held in Helsinki and a bronze medal at both the Norrkoping Swedish Championships and the Paavo Nurmi Games. She participated in the Birmingham Diamond League; however, after three unsuccessful attempts, she did not achieve a valid result.

Michaela Meijer had a successful year in 2023, winning the Malmo Swedish Indoor Championships, the Karlstad Nordic Indoor Match, and the Tampere Indoor Meeting, while finishing in 7th place at the Istanbul European Athletics Indoor Championships. In the outdoor season, she secured a gold medal at the Soderhamn Swedish Championships, along with a silver medal at the Folksam Grand Prix in Goteborg and a bronze at both the Folksam Grand Prix in Karlstad and the Finnkampen event in Stockholm. She participated in the Budapest World Athletics Championships but did not advance to the finals.

In 2024, Michaela Meijer took part at only one competition, winning the silver at the ESSX4ALL with 4.12m. She suffered a leg injury which stopped from training and competing by the end of the season. Her return is still not confirmed.

Michaela Meijer in numbers

1x World U18 Championships silver medalist
1x European U23 Championships silver medalist
6x National champion
Personal best: 4.83m (pole vault)

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