STEFANIDI Katerina

Greece
Athletics
4 Feb 1990
31
Female
Olympic Scholarship
KHOLARGOS
 
Greece
CLEVELAND, OH
 
United States of America

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
ATH Athletics Women's Pole Vault 4

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Olympic Stadium - Pole Vault B
Women's Pole Vault Qualification - Group B
Finished
Olympic Stadium - Pole Vault A
Women's Pole Vault Final
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
Olympic Games
YearLocationPole Vault
2016Rio de Janeiro, BRA1st (4.85)
2012London, GBRQual. (4.25)

World Athletics Championships
YearLocationPole Vault
2019Doha, QAT3rd (4.85)
2017London, GBR1st (4.91)
2015Beijing, CHNQual. (4.45)

European Championships
YearLocationPole Vault
2018Berlin, GER1st (4.85)

Diamond League overview - Three best ranks per season and event since 2017
YearPole Vault
20212 x 3rd, 1 x 4th
20193 x 1st, 2 x 2nd, 1 x 4th
20182 x 1st, 2 x 2nd, 1 x 4th
20175 x 1st

Diamond League - Ten best performances since 2020
RankYearEventLocationResult
12019Pole VaultBrussels, BEL4.83
12019Pole VaultBirmingham, GBR4.75
12019Pole VaultShanghai, CHN4.72
12018Pole VaultZurich, SUI4.87
12018Pole VaultLausanne, SUI4.82
12017Pole VaultBrussels, BEL4.85
12017Pole VaultBirmingham, GBR4.75
12017Pole VaultLondon, GBR4.81
12017Pole VaultRome, ITA4.85
12017Pole VaultDoha, QAT4.80

World Athletics Continental Tour - Ten best performances since 2020
RankYearEventCompetitionLocationResult
12021Pole VaultWorld Athletics Continental TourWalnut, CA, USA4.80

World Indoor Championships
YearLocationPole Vault
2018Birmingham, GBR3rd (4.80)


Legend
SF - Semifinal, QF - Quarterfinal, 1R - 1st Round, Qual. - Qualification, QR - Qualification Round, DNF - Did Not Finish, DNS - Did Not Start, DQ - Disqualified, NM - No Mark, [Relay athlete without time] - Did not run in final
:
Athlete
:
Neurological Science, Psychology - Stanford University, United States of America
:
Husband Mitchell Krier
:
English, French, Greek
:
AO Filotheis [Greece]
:
Mitchell Krier [husband, personal], USA
:
Her parents George [triple jump] and Zoi [sprinting] represented Greece in athletics, while her younger sister Georgia and her husband Mitchell Krier have participated in pole vault at university level in the United States of America. Mitchell has also worked as her coach. (diamondleague.com, 04 Feb 2020; georgiadogs.com, 07 Jan 2014; alumni.stanford.edu, 17 Jul 2012; macbulldogs.com, 27 Apr 2010)
:
Her training was affected by illness in late 2018. She returned to competition in February 2019 at the Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham, England. (athleticsweekly.com, 01 Mar 2019)

She had a hip injury ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro that prevented her running or vaulting in the two weeks before the Games. (agonasport, 06 Aug 2018; runjumpthrow.com, 15 Jan 2018)
:
She first tried pole vault at age 10. (runjumpthrow.com, 15 Jan 2018)
:
"The first day I tried pole vaulting the federation coach told me he thought I was really talented. I am not really sure exactly what he saw in a 10-year-old but those words, as well as the fact practising pole vault had much more variety than practising for any other track event, were probably the reasons I stuck with it. I didn't know the sport. It was my dad's idea, he pushed me towards it." (runjumpthrow.com, 15 Jan 2018; alumni.stanford.edu, 17 Jul 2012)
:
Winning gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (runjumpthrow.com, 15 Jan 2018)
:
French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie. (IAAF, 19 Jan 2015)
:
Her husband Mitchell Krier, and her chiropractor Katerina Mustakas. (sport24.gr, 30 Sep 2019)
:
"You need to learn how to learn." (IAAF, 19 Jan 2015)
:
In 2019 she received a special award from the Greek Olympic Committee in recognition of her contribution to athletics. (livemedianews.gr, 03 Feb 2020)

She was named Golden Tracks Female Athlete of the Year for 2017. (athleticsweekly.com, 15 Oct 2017)

She was flag bearer for Greece at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (agonasport, 06 Aug 2018)

General Interest

General
BREAK FROM THE SPORT
She took six months away from athletics during her first year at Stanford University in the United States of America. The arrival of new coach Toby Stevenson during her second year was a key factor in her returning to pole vault. "If you've heard of the phrase 'freshman 15' [gaining 15 pounds in weight during your first year of university], well I had a 'freshman 25'. I gained weight and became discouraged because I wasn't jumping as high. He [Stevenson] was my favourite pole vaulter when I was younger, so to have him arrive was the most motivating thing in the world. We immediately got along great. He was a Stanford graduate and I felt connected by that. It was perfect timing." (IAAF, 19 Jan 2015; spikes.iaaf.org, 05 Nov 2014)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
In October 2019 she was named on the World Athletics Athletes' Commission. (worldathletics.org, 06 Oct 2019)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied cognitive science at Arizona State University in the United States of America. (runblogrun.com, 30 Oct 2014)

Legend
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
Content 1 (removed through CDN)
Content 2 (removed through CDN).
Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos