Kjell Isaksson
Encyclopedia
Kjell Gunnar Isaksson is a retired pole vault
er from Sweden
, who broke the world record
several times in 1972. Initially he broke the record set by Christos Papanikolaou
of Greece
and San Jose State University
two years earlier, by jumping 5.51 metres in Austin, Texas
--the second man to clear 18 feet. A week later he improved to 5.54 in Los Angeles, California
. Two months later he added another centimeter at a meet in Helsingborg
, Sweden. His record reign was ended on July 2, 1972 when Olympic Gold Medalist Bob Seagren
jumped 5.63 metres at the United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
before going on to take an additional silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics (after being forced to use an unfamiliar pole). The highest Isaksson ever jumped was 5.59.
Isaksson is a three-time Olympian for his Sweden. He finished 5th at the 1968 Summer Olympics
, no heighted after passing to 5.0 metres in the trials of the 1972 Summer Olympics
and again no heighted after passing to 5.20 in the final of the 1976 Summer Olympics
.
competitors, winning two European titles and finishing second in the inaugural 1977 World Championship. Immensely strong and competitive, Isaksson dominated European competition in 1975 and 1976, defeating British Superstar David Hemery
twice, and scoring 56 points (out of a maximum 80) in the 1975 final.
As an amateur athlete however, Isaksson was unable to keep any of the tens of thousands of dollars he won during the events, the monies instead being awarded to the Swedish athletics association.
Isaksson was particularly strong in the running events (where he would only be allowed to compete after giving away "handicaps" to his rivals) and the gymnasium. In the weightlifting
Isaksson was rarely beaten, being able to lift huge degrees above his own bodyweight, and thus beat much larger and heavier men through the coefficient system. This gave him a major chance in the 1977 World Championship, though he was hindered by the IAAF disqualifying him from professional athletics competition (and thus the running events). This was to give his American rival Bob Seagren
a major advantage. Now retried from athletics, Seagren was free to compete in the running events and scored enough points here to beat Isaksson into second place. Until Brian Hooper
won the last World Final in 1982, Isaksson was the most successful European Superstar ever.
Though he would compete again (losing to Brian Jacks
memorably in the 1980 International Final), he never another won a Superstars event.
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, who broke the world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
several times in 1972. Initially he broke the record set by Christos Papanikolaou
Christos Papanikolaou
Christos Papanikolaou is a retired Greek pole vaulter.He was born in Trikala. At a young age he joined the Sports Club of Trikala. After completing his high school education he enrolled in the Sports Academy of Athens...
of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
two years earlier, by jumping 5.51 metres in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
--the second man to clear 18 feet. A week later he improved to 5.54 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Two months later he added another centimeter at a meet in Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
, Sweden. His record reign was ended on July 2, 1972 when Olympic Gold Medalist Bob Seagren
Bob Seagren
Robert "Bob" Seagren was an American pole vaulter, the 1968 Olympic champion.A native of Pomona, California, Bob Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU and four NCAA titles indoors and outdoors. Indoors he posted eight world...
jumped 5.63 metres at the United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
before going on to take an additional silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics (after being forced to use an unfamiliar pole). The highest Isaksson ever jumped was 5.59.
Isaksson is a three-time Olympian for his Sweden. He finished 5th at the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
, no heighted after passing to 5.0 metres in the trials of the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
and again no heighted after passing to 5.20 in the final of the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
.
Superstars
Kjell Isaksson achieved international fame in the late 1970s as one of the most successful SuperstarsSuperstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
competitors, winning two European titles and finishing second in the inaugural 1977 World Championship. Immensely strong and competitive, Isaksson dominated European competition in 1975 and 1976, defeating British Superstar David Hemery
David Hemery
David Peter Hemery, CBE, is a British former athlete, winner of the 400m hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics.He was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but his father's work took the family to the United States, where he attended school and graduated from Boston University.Hemery's first...
twice, and scoring 56 points (out of a maximum 80) in the 1975 final.
As an amateur athlete however, Isaksson was unable to keep any of the tens of thousands of dollars he won during the events, the monies instead being awarded to the Swedish athletics association.
Isaksson was particularly strong in the running events (where he would only be allowed to compete after giving away "handicaps" to his rivals) and the gymnasium. In the weightlifting
Weightlifting
Olympic Weightlifting, also called Olympic-style weightlifting, or weightlifting, is an athletic discipline in the modern Olympic programme in which participants attempt a maximum-weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates....
Isaksson was rarely beaten, being able to lift huge degrees above his own bodyweight, and thus beat much larger and heavier men through the coefficient system. This gave him a major chance in the 1977 World Championship, though he was hindered by the IAAF disqualifying him from professional athletics competition (and thus the running events). This was to give his American rival Bob Seagren
Bob Seagren
Robert "Bob" Seagren was an American pole vaulter, the 1968 Olympic champion.A native of Pomona, California, Bob Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU and four NCAA titles indoors and outdoors. Indoors he posted eight world...
a major advantage. Now retried from athletics, Seagren was free to compete in the running events and scored enough points here to beat Isaksson into second place. Until Brian Hooper
Brian Hooper
Brian Roger Leslie Hooper in Sheerwater, Woking, Surrey is a former British Olympic pole vaulter, athletics coach and winner of the 1982 World Superstars Championship.-Athletics:...
won the last World Final in 1982, Isaksson was the most successful European Superstar ever.
Though he would compete again (losing to Brian Jacks
Brian Jacks
Brian Jacks is a British judoka who won Britain's first medal at a world championship, taking a bronze in Salt Lake City in 1967, and gained a second bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics.-Superstars:...
memorably in the 1980 International Final), he never another won a Superstars event.
Superstars Record
| Year | Event | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Spanish Heat | 1st |
| 1975 | European Final | 1st |
| 1976 | Swedish Heat | 1st |
| 1976 | European Final | 1st |
| 1977 | World Final | 2nd |
| 1980 | International | 2nd |
Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Height | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing | |||||
| 1968 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 36 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 12 for women. There were a total number of 1031 participating athletes from 93 countries.... |
Mexico City, Mexico | 11th | 5.15 metres | |
| 1969 | European Championships 1969 European Championships in Athletics The 9th European Athletics Championships were held from 16 September to 21 September 1969 in the Karaiskaki Stadium of Athens, the capital of Greece. New at these championships were the women's 1,500 metres and the women's 4x400 metres relay event.... |
Athens, Greece | 2nd | 5.20 metres | |
| 1970 | European Indoor Championships 1970 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 1st European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in 1970 at Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, the capital of Austria. It replaced the European Indoor Games in athletics, which had been held since 1966.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:... |
Vienna, Austria | 2nd | 5.25 metres | |
| 1971 | European Indoor Championships 1971 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 2nd European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in 1971 in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-References:* at GBR Athletics* at GBR Athletics* at Die Leichtatletik-Statistik-Seite... |
Sofia, Bulgaria | 2nd | 5.35 metres | |
| European Championships 1971 European Championships in Athletics The 10th European Athletics Championships were held from 10 August to 15 August 1971 in the Olympic Stadium of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.-Track:1966 |1969 |1971 |1974 |1978-Field:1966 |1969 |1971 |1974 |1978-Track:... |
Helsinki, Finland | 2nd | 5.30 metres | ||
| 1972 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, 38 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 14 for women. There were a total number of 1324 participating athletes from 104 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*... |
Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... , West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.... |
— | ||
| 1976 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, 37 events were contested in athletics. There were a total number of 1006 participating athletes from 80 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:**... |
Montreal, Canada | — | ||