Steve Smith (high jumper, 1973)

Steve Smith (actually: Stephenson James Smith ; born March 29, 1973 in Liverpool ) is a former British high jumper who won a medal at all major championships in the 1990s. His greatest achievement is the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games . He is co-owner of the junior world record in high jump (see World Athletics Records ).

Steve Smith had a competition weight of 70 kg with a height of 1.85 m.

In 1991 he became Junior European Champion and 1992 Junior World Champion. At the Junior World Championships in Seoul , he jumped 2.37 m. With this height he equalized the junior world record of Dragutin Topić and at the same time set a British record. Both records hold (as of 2007).

At the World Indoor Championships in Toronto, Smith again jumped 2.37 m and won bronze behind Javier Sotomayor and Patrik Sjöberg . Smith also mastered 2.37 m at the World Championships in Stuttgart . Javier Sotomayor was world champion ahead of Artur Partyka and Smith.

In February 1994 Smith increased his own British indoor record at a meeting in Wuppertal to 2.38 m. At the European Championships in Helsinki the Norwegian Steinar Hoen won with 2.35 m ahead of Partyka and Smith, who each crossed 2.33 m and both received silver with the same number of failed attempts. 17 days later the high jump final of the Commonwealth Games took place in Victoria . The Australian Tim Forsyth and Smith, who started for England , fought an exciting duel for gold and silver. Both failed three times at 2.34 m, and neither did they cross the 2.34 m in the first attempt at the jump-off. In the second round of the jump-off they both crossed 2.32 m, in the third attempt both failed at 2.34 meters, and only the fourth round brought the decision in favor of Forsyth, who crossed 2.32 m, which Smith failed this time.

At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, Troy Kemp won ahead of Sotomayor. Smith jumped 2.35 m, but was defeated by Poland Partyka at the same height as in 1993 and only finished fourth. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Charles Austin won with 2.39 m before Partyka with 2.37 m and Smith with 2.35 m.

That bronze medal would remain Smith's last major medal. In 1997 he was sixth at the World Indoor Championships in Paris with 2.25 m and retired at the World Championships in Athens , he retired in the qualification. Because of a neck injury, he had to skip the 1998 season, in 1999 he tried a comeback. He ended his career in 1999 after tearing his Achilles tendon.

literature

• Peter Matthews (Ed.): Athletics 2000. Surbiton 2000, ISBN 1-899807-07-1
• Bob Phillips: Honor of Empire. Glory of Sport. The History of Athletics at The Commonwealth Games. Manchester 2000, ISBN 1-903158-09-5

Web links

• Steve Smith in the database of World Athletics (English)