1. Early Life and Background
Katerina Stefanidi's early life was deeply influenced by her athletic family, and she pursued a rigorous academic path alongside her burgeoning pole vaulting career, eventually studying in the United States.
1.1. Early Life and Education
Katerina Stefanidi was born on February 4, 1990, in Cholargos, Athens, Greece. Her parents, Georgios Stefanidis and Zoi Vareli, were both athletes who competed internationally in the triple jump and sprints, respectively. Her younger sister, Georgia, also became a pole vaulter.
Stefanidi attended the 1st High School of Pallini, where she excelled in athletics, winning the National High School Championships. During her formative years, she consistently broke world age-group records for ages 11 to 14. Shortly after turning 15, she set a world under-18 best with a jump of 14 ft (4.37 m). In 2006, she won a gold medal at the Gymnasiade, breaking both the national high school pole vault record and the championship record.
In 2008, Stefanidi received an athletic scholarship to Stanford University in the United States, where she began competing for the Stanford Cardinal track and field team. She later earned a master's degree in cognitive psychology from Arizona State University, where she trained under the guidance of 2000 Olympic pole vault champion Nick Hysong. She currently resides in the United States.
2. Athletic Career
Katerina Stefanidi's athletic career spans from her impressive junior achievements to her sustained success at the senior international level, marked by numerous medals and record-breaking performances.
2.1. Junior Career (2005-2010)
Stefanidi's international debut came at the age of 15 at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Marrakesh, Morocco, where she won the gold medal and set a championship record of 14 ft (4.3 m). Two years later, at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Ostrava, Czech Republic, she secured a silver medal with a jump of 14 ft (4.25 m). In 2008, at the age of 18, she earned a bronze medal with 14 ft (4.25 m) at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
While at Stanford, under the guidance of coach Kris Mack and head coach Edrick Floreal, Stefanidi broke the freshman school record with a leap of 14 ft (4.13 m). In 2010, training under Toby Stevenson, she tied for fifth place with 14 ft (4.3 m) at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships, won the Pac-10 Conference title, and tied for fourth place with 14 ft (4.25 m) at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, having broken the school record multiple times during the season.
2.2. College and Early Senior Career (2011-2013)
In 2011, Stefanidi placed second at the NCAA Indoors with 14 ft (4.4 m). She successfully defended her Pac-10 Conference title with 14 ft (4.28 m) and finished third at the NCAA Outdoors with 14 ft (4.4 m). That same year, she earned a silver medal at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and a bronze medal at the Universiade in Shenzhen, China. In both competitions, she achieved a personal best of 15 ft (4.45 m), which also tied the Greek U23 record.
During her senior year in 2012, Stefanidi placed third at the NCAA Indoors with 14 ft (4.35 m). In the outdoor season, she again won the Pac-12 Conference championship in Eugene, Oregon, where she broke her own school record with 15 ft (4.48 m). A month later, she became the NCAA champion in Des Moines, Iowa, clearing 15 ft (4.45 m). Her season's best of 15 ft (4.51 m), achieved in July in Livermore, California, remains the Greek under-23 record. In 2013, she faced injury problems, which limited her season's best to 15 ft (4.45 m).
2.3. Career Development and Major Achievements (2014-2015)
The period of 2014-2015 marked significant improvements in Stefanidi's performance, leading to her first major senior international medals. In the 2014 indoor season, she improved her personal best to 15 ft (4.55 m). During the 2014 outdoor season, she continued to raise her lifetime best, first to 15 ft (4.57 m) and then to 15 ft (4.6 m) at the Diamond League meeting in New York City. She represented Greece at the European Athletics Team Championships 1st League in Tallinn, winning the event with a 15 ft (4.55 m) jump. She further improved her personal best at the Glasgow Diamond League with a jump of 15 ft (4.65 m). One week before the European Championships, she set another personal best of 15 ft (4.71 m), equaling the Greek national record.
At the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zürich, Switzerland, Stefanidi easily qualified for the final. She achieved her first major senior international success by winning the silver medal with 15 ft (4.6 m), narrowly missing the gold to Anzhelika Sidorova on the very last jump. Following this, she won the Birmingham Diamond League meeting with 15 ft (4.57 m) and took third place at the circuit's final in Zürich with 15 ft (4.67 m), finishing second overall in the Diamond League series behind Fabiana Murer. In 2014, she cleared 15 ft (4.55 m) ten times, a significant improvement from her pre-2014 personal best of 15 ft (4.51 m).
During the 2015 indoor season, Stefanidi set new personal bests four times, reaching 15 ft (4.56 m), 15 ft (4.6 m), 15 ft (4.61 m), and 16 ft (4.77 m), which temporarily stood as the national record. At the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague, she won the silver medal with 16 ft (4.75 m). However, at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, she had a disappointing performance, failing to reach the final with a jump of 15 ft (4.45 m).
2.4. Peak Period: Olympic Gold and Global Success (2016-2018)
The years 2016 to 2018 marked the peak of Stefanidi's career, highlighted by her Olympic gold medal and multiple global and continental titles.
In the 2016 indoor season, Stefanidi set a Greek national indoor record with a remarkable leap of 16 ft (4.9 m) at the Millrose Games in New York City, placing her fourth all-time in the event, tied with Demi Payne. At the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, she won the bronze medal with a jump of 16 ft (4.8 m). In the subsequent outdoor months, she continuously improved her personal best, clearing 16 ft (4.73 m), 16 ft (4.75 m), and 16 ft (4.77 m). In Filothei, Greece, she set a new Greek record of 16 ft (4.86 m). In July, at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, she won the gold medal with 16 ft (4.81 m), taking the championship record from Yelena Isinbayeva.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Stefanidi achieved her greatest success, becoming the Olympic champion with a jump of 16 ft (4.85 m). This made her the seventh Greek female athlete to win a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games. In September, she secured her first Diamond League Trophy, marking a dominant year.
The 2017 indoor season saw Stefanidi become the European Indoor champion with a world-leading jump of 16 ft (4.85 m). In the 2017 outdoor season, she set a world lead at the Rome Diamond League with 16 ft (4.85 m) and made her first attempts at a new world record. Overcoming her disappointment from the 2015 World Championships, Stefanidi won the gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, where she broke her own Greek record and set a new world lead for 2017 by vaulting 16 ft (4.91 m). She completed her 2017 outdoor season undefeated with 14 consecutive wins and clinched the Diamond League final in Brussels. On October 14, 2017, at the traditional European Athletics gala in Vilnius, Lithuania, she was named European Women's Athlete of the Year.
In 2018, Stefanidi continued her medal collection, taking third place with 16 ft (4.8 m) at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom, and first place with 16 ft (4.85 m) at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin. She won the Diamond League title for a third consecutive year and concluded the season with a second-place finish (16 ft (4.85 m)) behind Anzhelika Sidorova, representing Europe at the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup.
2.5. Continued Activity and Career Maintenance (2019-Present)
Stefanidi has maintained a high level of performance since 2019, continuing to compete and earn medals at major championships.
In 2019, she won the Diamond League Trophy for a record fourth consecutive year. She also secured the bronze medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a jump of 16 ft (4.85 m). Earlier that year, she placed fourth at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 15 ft (4.65 m) and won gold at the 2019 European Athletics Team Championships Super League in Bydgoszcz, Poland, with 15 ft (4.7 m).
In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which led to the shutdown of most public sports events, Stefanidi, along with Katie Nageotte and Alysha Newman, participated in "The Ultimate Garden Clash," an online event organized by World Athletics and conceived by Renaud Lavillenie. In this unique competition, athletes aimed to achieve as many vault clearances as possible over a 13 ft (4 m) bar within two 15-minute periods at their local tracks. Stefanidi emerged victorious with 34 clearances. She continued her training at SPIRE Institute and Academy to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At the Games, held in 2021, she finished fourth with a jump of 16 ft (4.8 m), equaling her season's best.
In 2022, Stefanidi earned a silver medal at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, behind Wilma Murto, with a season's best of 16 ft (4.75 m). Earlier that year, she placed fifth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with 15 ft (4.7 m).
In 2023, she finished fourth at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, with 15 ft (4.6 m), and eighth at the 2023 European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division in Chorzow, Poland, with 14 ft (4.4 m). She recorded a "No Mark" (NM) at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
In 2024, Stefanidi competed at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom, finishing seventh with 15 ft (4.55 m). She then secured another silver medal at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, with 16 ft (4.73 m), a season's best. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, she finished ninth with 15 ft (4.7 m).
3. Personal Life
Katerina Stefanidi's personal life is closely intertwined with her athletic career. She is the daughter of athletes Georgios Stefanidis and Zoi Vareli, both of whom competed internationally in triple jump and sprints, respectively. Her younger sister, Georgia Stefanidi, also pursues pole vaulting. In 2015, Katerina Stefanidi married Mitchell Krier, a former pole vaulter who also serves as her coach. She resides in the United States.
4. Awards and Achievements
Katerina Stefanidi has accumulated a remarkable collection of awards and achievements throughout her career, solidifying her status as one of Greece's most decorated athletes.
4.1. Major Individual Awards
- European Women's Athlete of the Year: 2017
- Greek Female Athlete of the Year: 2017, 2019
4.2. Major Achievements and Records
Katerina Stefanidi holds several significant records and has achieved numerous victories in major competitions. Her personal bests are 16 ft (4.91 m) outdoors, set in London in 2017, which is a Greek National Record (NR), and 16 ft (4.9 m) indoors, set in New York in 2016, which is a Greek National Indoor Record (NRi).
She has won the Diamond League overall title four times: in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Her individual Diamond League meeting wins include:
- 2014: Birmingham British Grand Prix
- 2016: Rabat Meeting International (Meeting Record), Rome Golden Gala (Personal Best), Monaco Herculis, London Anniversary Games
- 2017: Doha Diamond League (European Lead), Rome (World Lead), London, Birmingham, Zürich Weltklasse (Diamond League Record), Brussels Memorial Van Damme
- 2018: Lausanne Athletissima (Season Best), Zürich
- 2019: Shanghai Diamond League (Season Best), Birmingham, Brussels
Her progression in pole vaulting is detailed in the table below:
| Performance | Venue | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 ft (4.91 m) | London, UK | 2017, August 6 | NR |
| 16 ft (4.86 m) | Filothei (Athens), Greece | 2016, June 8 | NR |
| 16 ft (4.77 m) | Birmingham, UK | 2016, June 5 | |
| 16 ft (4.75 m) | Rabat, Morocco | 2016, May 22 | |
| 16 ft (4.9 m) (i) | New York (Armory), USA | 2016, February 20 | NRi |
| 16 ft (4.8 m) (i) | New York (Armory), USA | 2016, February 20 | |
| 16 ft (4.77 m) (i) | Flagstaff (AZ), USA | 2015, February 20 | NR |
| 15 ft (4.71 m) | Monaco, Monaco | 2014, July 18 | =NR |
| 15 ft (4.65 m) | Glasgow, UK | 2014, July 12 | |
| 15 ft (4.6 m) | New York City, USA | 2014, June 15 | |
| 15 ft (4.57 m) | Chula Vista (CA), USA | 2014, May 30 | |
| 15 ft (4.55 m) (i) | Flagstaff (AZ), USA | 2014, January 25 | |
| 15 ft (4.51 m) | Livermore (CA), USA | 2012, June 16 | NU23R |
| 15 ft (4.48 m) | Eugene, USA | 2012, May 13 | NU23R |
| 15 ft (4.45 m) | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2011, July 17 | =NU23R |
| 14 ft (4.41 m) (i) | Seattle, USA | 2011, January 15 | |
| 14 ft (4.3 m) | Marrakech, Morocco | 2005, July 16 | |
| 14 ft (4.37 m) (i) | Peania, Greece | 2005, February 20 | previous WU18B |
| 14 ft (4.14 m) | Korinthos, Greece | 2004, July 3 | |
| 13 ft (3.95 m) (i) | Peania, Greece | 2004, January 17 | |
| 13 ft (3.9 m) | Chania, Greece | 2003, June 9 | |
| 12 ft (3.6 m) (i) | Athens, Greece | 2003, February 22 | |
| 11 ft (3.4 m) | Athens, Greece | 2002, June 9 |
Her international competition results are summarized in the table below:
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | World Youth Championships | Marrakesh, Morocco | 1st | 14 ft (4.3 m) CR |
| 2007 | World Youth Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2nd | 14 ft (4.25 m) SB |
| 2008 | World Junior Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 3rd | 14 ft (4.25 m) SB |
| 2011 | European U23 Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2nd | 15 ft (4.45 m) NU23R |
| Universiade | Shenzhen, China | 3rd | 15 ft (4.45 m) | |
| 2012 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| NM | ||||
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 24th (q) | 14 ft (4.25 m) | |
| 2013 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 13th (q) | 14 ft (4.36 m) |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zurich, Switzerland | 2nd | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| 2015 | European Indoor Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | 2nd | 16 ft (4.75 m) |
| World Championships | Beijing, China | 15th (q) | 15 ft (4.45 m) | |
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, OR, United States | 3rd | 16 ft (4.8 m) |
| European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1st | 16 ft (4.81 m) CR | |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1st | 16 ft (4.85 m) | |
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 1st | 16 ft (4.85 m) WL |
| European Team Championships Super League | Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France | 1st | 15 ft (4.7 m) | |
| World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 16 ft (4.91 m) WL NR | |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 3rd | 16 ft (4.8 m) |
| European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 1st | 16 ft (4.85 m) CR | |
| Continental Cup | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 2nd | 16 ft (4.85 m) CR | |
| 2019 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, Scotland | 4th | 15 ft (4.65 m) |
| European Team Championships Super League | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1st | 15 ft (4.7 m) | |
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 3rd | 16 ft (4.85 m) SB | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | 16 ft (4.8 m) =SB |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 5th | 15 ft (4.7 m) SB |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 2nd | 16 ft (4.75 m) SB | |
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 4th | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| European Team Championships 1st Division | Chorzow, Poland | 8th | 14 ft (4.4 m) | |
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | |||
| NM | ||||
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 7th | 15 ft (4.55 m) |
| European Championships | Rome, Italy | 2nd | 16 ft (4.73 m) SB | |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 9th | 15 ft (4.7 m) |
5. Status and Evaluation
Katerina Stefanidi is widely regarded as one of the greatest female athletes in the history of Greek sport. Her consistent performance at the highest levels of international competition, including Olympic and World Championship gold medals, multiple European titles, and numerous Diamond League victories, has cemented her legacy. Her achievements have brought significant recognition to Greek athletics and inspired many within the country.