Katerina Stefanidi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Katerina Stefanidi

Stefanidi in 2019
Personal information
Born	(1990-02-04) 4 February 1990 (age 35) Cholargos, Athens, Greece
Height	1.73 m
Weight	59 kg
Sport
Country	Greece
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Pole vault
University team	Stanford University
Coached by	Mitchell Krier
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	4.91 m NR (London 2017) Indoors 4.90 m(i) NR (New York 2016)
Medal record Athletics Representing  Greece Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 1 0 1 World Indoor Championships 0 0 2 Diamond League 4 0 0 European Championships 2 3 0 European Indoor Championships 1 1 0 European Team Championships 2 0 0 Continental Cup 0 1 0 Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Pole vault World Championships Gold 2017 London Pole vault Bronze 2019 Doha Pole vault World Indoor Championships Bronze 2016 Portland Pole vault Bronze 2018 Birmingham Pole vault Diamond League 2016 Pole vault 2017 Pole vault 2018 Pole vault 2019 Pole vault European Championships Gold 2016 Amsterdam Pole vault Gold 2018 Berlin Pole vault Silver 2014 Zürich Pole vault Silver 2022 Munich Pole vault Silver 2024 Rome Pole vault European Indoor Championships Gold 2017 Belgrade Pole vault Silver 2015 Prague Pole vault European Team Championships Gold 2017 Villeneuve-d'Ascq Pole vault Gold 2019 Bydgoszcz Pole vault Continental Cup Representing Europe Silver 2018 Ostrava Pole vault Summer Universiade Bronze 2011 Shenzhen Pole vault European U23 Championships Silver 2011 Ostrava Pole vault World Junior Championships Bronze 2008 Bydgoszcz Pole vault World Youth Championships Gold 2005 Marrakesh Pole vault Silver 2007 Ostrava Pole vault

Katerina Stefanidi (born on February 4, 1990) is a famous Greek pole vaulter. She is known for winning many big competitions. Katerina won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also competed in the 2012 London and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Katerina was the World Champion in 2017. She also won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2019. At the European Athletics Championships, she has won two gold medals (in 2016 and 2018) and three silver medals (in 2014, 2022, and 2024). She has also won medals in indoor competitions, including a European Indoor gold in 2017.

Katerina started winning big at a young age. When she was 15, she became the World Under-18 champion. She won four Diamond League titles in a row from 2016 to 2019. Many people think she is the greatest female athlete in the history of Greek sports.

About Katerina's Life

Katerina Stefanidi was born into a family of athletes. Her father, Georgios Stefanidis, competed in the triple jump. Her mother, Zoi Vareli, was a sprinter. Katerina's younger sister, Georgia, also does pole vaulting.

In 2015, Katerina married Mitchell Krier. He used to be a pole vaulter too and later became her coach. Katerina lives in the United States.

Katerina's Amazing Career

Early Years and Junior Success (2005–2010)

Katerina showed her talent for pole vaulting very early. She broke many world records for her age group when she was 11 to 14 years old. When she turned 15, she set a new world best for under-18 athletes, jumping 4.37 meters.

Her first big international win was at age 15. She won a gold medal at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Morocco. She set a new championship record there. In 2007, she won a silver medal at the same championships. In 2008, at 18, she won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Poland.

After high school, Katerina went to Stanford University in the United States. She continued to pole vault for their team. She later earned a master's degree in cognitive psychology while training.

College and Early Senior Career (2011–2013)

While at Stanford, Katerina kept improving. In 2011, she placed second at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She also won the Pac-10 Conference title again. She earned a silver medal at the European Under-23 Championships. She also won a bronze medal at the Universiade (a big sports event for university students).

In 2012, Katerina became the NCAA champion. This was a big win for her college career. She set a new Greek record for under-23 athletes that year. In 2013, she had some small injuries, but she still performed well.

Rising Star (2014–2015)

In 2014, Katerina started to shine even brighter. She kept improving her personal best jumps. She jumped 4.71 meters, which was a new Greek national record at the time.

At the European Championships in Switzerland, she won her first major senior medal, a silver. She also did very well in the Diamond League series, finishing second overall. In 2015, she continued her success by winning a silver medal at the European Indoor Championships.

Stefanidi at the 2014 European Championships in Zürich

Olympic Gold and World Champion (2016–2018)

The year 2016 was huge for Katerina. She set a new Greek indoor record by jumping 4.90 meters. At the World Indoor Championships, she won a bronze medal. Then, at the European Championships in Amsterdam, she won the gold medal.

The biggest moment came at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Katerina became an Olympic champion, winning the gold medal with a jump of 4.85 meters! She was the seventh Greek female athlete to win an Olympic gold. Later that year, she won her first Diamond League title.

In 2017, Katerina became the European Indoor champion. She then won the gold medal at the World Championships in London. She even broke her own Greek record with a jump of 4.91 meters. Katerina had an amazing year, winning 14 competitions in a row! She was named the European Athlete of the Year.

In 2018, Katerina won another bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships. She also won her second gold medal at the European Championships in Berlin. She won the Diamond League title for the third year in a row.

Recent Competitions (2019–Present)

In 2019, Katerina won her fourth straight Diamond League title. She also won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Qatar.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Katerina took part in a special online competition. Athletes competed from their own training tracks. Katerina won this unique event. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she finished fourth.

In 2022, Katerina won a silver medal at the European Championships in Germany. She also won another silver medal at the European Championships in Rome in 2024.

Katerina's Achievements

International Medals

Representing  Greece

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
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
	European Championships	Rome, Italy	2nd	4.73 m SB
	Olympic Games	Paris, France	9th	4.70 m

Diamond League Wins

Katerina Stefanidi has won the overall Diamond League pole vault title four times in a row. This is a record! She has also won many individual Diamond League meetings:

• 2014: Birmingham British Grand Prix
• 2016: Rabat Meeting, Rome Golden Gala, Monaco Herculis, London Anniversary Games
• 2017: Doha Diamond League, Rome, London, Birmingham, Zürich Weltklasse, Brussels Memorial Van Damme
• 2018: Lausanne Athletissima, Zürich
• 2019: Shanghai Diamond League, Birmingham, Brussels

Images for kids

• 

  Katerina Stefanidi at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow

• 

  Katerina Stefanidi at the 2019 Birmingham Grand Prix

• 

  Katerina Stefanidi in 2020

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  Katerina Stefanidi at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich

See also

In Spanish: Ekaterini Stefanidi para niños