A month after he made the Olympic final in Barcelona, Steve Smith equaled the world junior record of 2.37 metres in winning the World Junior Championships. This height was superior to the one that had won the Olympic title and has stood as the British record for nearly twenty years. Over the next four seasons he was one of the world’s most consistent high jumpers and never finished lower than fourth at any of the major championships he contested. Third at the 1993 World Championships was followed by silver medals at the following year’s European Championships and Commonwealth Games and then by a fourth place at the 1995 Worlds. Smith’s bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics was the first by a British male in the event since 1908. He competed at two more world championships but began to struggle with injury problems. A neck injury ruined the 1998 season for Smith then, in late 1999, his career was ended by a ruptured Achilles tendon. Following his retirement he opened a restaurant in his hometown of Liverpool and later became a motivational speaker and broadcaster.
Personal Best: HJ – 2.38i (1994).
Great Britain