Born: 12 October 1976 Events:High jump Personal best: 2.06 World Athletics medals: 2001 - high jump bronze Other achievements: 2000 Olympics - high jump bronze 2001 World Indoors - gold Main rival: Hestrie Cloete

At 1.75m, Kajsa Bergqvist is not the tallest high jumper around, but has still managed to rise above the competition.

With medals at every level and having notched up the best mark for over 10 years this season, the Swede has established herself as the one to beat in the high jump.

Bergqvist first emerged on the international scene in the 1990s, grabbing silver at the European Championships in Hungary, but it was not until the new millennium she started to reap the rewards of her hard work.

After breaking the magical 2m barrier at the European Indoor Championships in Ghent, the 26-year-old went on to claim bronze medals at the Sydney Olympics and the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton.

Her first gold medal came at the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon, and in 2002 raised her national record to 2.04m and won the European title in Munich.

This season her chances of landing her first world outdoor title were boosted when she cleared a personal best of 2.06m in July.

Just 3cm off the 16-year-old world record set by Stefka Kostadinova, the jump was the best by a woman since 1992 and put her third in the all-time list.