Chris Nilsen

Christopher Nilsen (born January 13, 1998) is an American athlete specialising in pole vault and high jump. He won the silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the pole vault event with a jump of 5.97 m (19 ft 7 in).

Not to be confused with Canadian ice hockey player Chris Nielsen or New Zealand rower Chris Nilsson.

Chris Nilsen
Nilsen in 2018
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Nilsen
NationalityAmerican
Born (1998-01-13) January 13, 1998[1]
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.[1]
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[1]
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s)High jump
Pole vault
College teamUniversity of South Dakota
Park Hill High School '16
ClubNike
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
Pole vault 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) (2022)
Pole vault i 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in) (2022) AR
High jump i 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) (2018)
High jump 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) (2018)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoPole vault
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2022 EugenePole vault
Bronze medal – third place2023 BudapestPole vault
World Indoor Championships
Bronze medal – third place2022 BelgradePole vault
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place2019 LimaPole vault

High school

Nilsen graduated from Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Missouri.[2] Nilsen was raised in hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Nilsen set the United States high school record in the pole vault at the Missouri Class 5 sectional meet with a clearance of 5.61 m (18 ft 5 in).

Nilsen won 2016 Kansas Relays pole vault.

NCAA

Nilsen attended the University of South Dakota.[3]

Nilsen is a six-time NCAA Division I First Team All-American, and a three-time NCAA Track and field Pole vault champion.[4] Nilsen holds South Dakota Coyotes school records in the Pole vault indoor 5.80 m (19 ft 0 in) and outdoor 5.86 m (19 ft 3 in).[5]

Nilsen set American & NACAC outdoor pole vault U-20 record 5.75 m (18 ft 10 in) and American & NACAC indoor pole vault U-20 record 5.70 m (18 ft 8 in).

Nilsen honored as 2017 Summit League Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and 2017 Summit League Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Nilsen honored on The Bowerman Watch List throughout the 2017 outdoor season.

Nilsen won 2018 Texas Relays clearing 5.80 m (19 ft 0 in), later battled Sam Kendricks at 2018 Drake Relays where he cleared 5.78 m (19 ft 0 in) and described the competition in Des Moines, Iowa to Sioux City Journal.[6]

Nilsen placed second at 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and won the pole vault title in an NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships meet record at 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Nilsen won Summit League student-athlete of the week honors for the 9th time in 2019.[7] South Dakota’s Chris Nilsen captured the men’s most outstanding performer of the championship accolade after capturing his third consecutive league pole vault title with a meet record vault of 5.81 m (19 ft 1 in).[8]

Nilsen jumped a then indoor personal best of 5.93 m (19 ft 5 in) at the Devaney Sports Complex on February, 2020. This jump represented an Indoor NCAA Collegiate record, previously held by LSU Freshman, Mondo Duplantis which stood until February 2021 KC Lightfoot cleared 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in).

Representing South Dakota Coyotes
School YearSummit League
Indoor track and field
Championships		NCAA Division 1
Indoor track and field
Championships		Summit League
Outdoor Track and Field
Championships		NCAA Division 1
Outdoor Track and Field
Championships
2017 FreshmanPole Vault 1st,
5.63 m (18 ft 6 in)		Pole Vault 1st,
5.70 m (18 ft 8 in)		Pole Vault 1st,
5.51 m (18 ft 1 in)		Pole Vault 3rd,
5.45 m (17 ft 11 in)
2018 SophomorePole Vault 2nd,
5.20 m (17 ft 1 in)		Pole Vault 2nd,
5.60 m (18 ft 4 in)		Pole Vault 1st,
5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)		Pole Vault 1st,
5.83 m (19 ft 2 in) CR[9]
High Jump 6th,
2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)		High Jump 10th,
1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
2019 JuniorPole Vault 1st,
5.75 m (18 ft 10 in)		Pole Vault 2nd,
5.73 m (18 ft 10 in)		Pole Vault 1st,
5.81 m (19 ft 1 in)		Pole Vault 1st,
5.95 m (19 ft 6 in) MR
2020 SeniorPole Vault 1st,
5.51 m (18 ft 1 in)
High Jump 6th,
2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)

[10]

International

Nilsen began competing for South Dakota Coyotes and in Vermillion, South Dakota under coach Derek Miles in Fall 2016.[11]

In London at 2017 World Championships in Athletics, Nilsen cleared 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in) in the Pole Vault to place 13th.[12]

Nilsen won gold in the pole vault at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru after clearing 5.76 m (18 ft 11 in).

Nilsen began his professional career as a Nike sponsored athlete in July, 2020. He is currently working with his agent Karen Locke.

On June 21, 2021, Nilsen was the only pole vaulter to clear 5.90 m (19 ft 4 in) at the 2020 Olympic Trials, cementing his first place win and getting him a spot on the Olympic team, alongside Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot. He won the silver medal at the Olympic games in Tokyo with a jump of 5.97 m (19 ft 7 in), improving his personal best by two centimeters.[13] Nilsen was full of praise for the winner, Armand Duplantis. He compared the competition against Duplantis that evening as being a regular footballer "trying to emulate Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo" and that his superiority over the world's best pole vaulters was "impressive and ridiculous".[14]

Nilsen jumped an indoor North American Record of 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in) on 5 February 2022 at Golden Pole Vault Special Meeting in Tourcoing, France.[15]

Year US National Championship Event Venue Place Result
2021 USA Olympic Trials Track and Field Championships Pole vault Hayward Field

Eugene, Oregon

 1st 5.90 m (19 ft 4 in)
20182018 USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsPole vaultDrake Stadium (Drake University)2nd5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)[16]
20172017 USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsPole vaultHornet Stadium (Sacramento)3rd5.75 m (18 ft 10 in)[17]
2016USA Olympic Trials Track and Field ChampionshipsPole vaultHayward Field
Eugene, Oregon		T-18thNH @ 5.40 m (17 ft 9 in)[18]

References
  1. "Chris Nilsen". teamusa.org. USOC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  2. "Watch: Former Park Hill athlete Chris Nilsen claims No. 1 pole vault in NCAA". Kansascity.com. February 6, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  3. "Chris Nilsen University of South Dakota Track and Field 2017 Profile". South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  4. "CHRIS NILSEN SOUTH DAKOTA Track and Field Results". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  5. "South Dakota Coyotes Track and Field Records". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  6. JEFF BUDLONG. "South Dakota's Chris Nilsen continues to impress". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  7. "South Dakota junior Chris Nilsen has been named the Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week". Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  8. "NDSU Men, Women Sweep Summit League Track & Field Championships". KVRR-TV. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  9. "Men Pole vault Final NCAA Division I Championships Historic Hayward Field -- Eugene, OR - June 6, 2018". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  10. "Chris Nilsen Track and Field results from South Dakota and professional championships". Retrieved June 6, 2018. TFRRS
  11. "South Dakota Coyotes 2018 Track and Field Coach Derek Miles". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  12. "16th IAAF World Championships August 4 - August 13, 2017 - London Stadium - London, UK". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  13. "Athletics-Sweden's Duplantis soars to pole vault gold". Reuters. August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  14. "Christopher Nilsen slår tillbaka mot hatet mot Armand Duplantis" (in Swedish). Expressen. August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  15. University of South Dakota alumnus Chris Nilsen breaks American indoor pole vault record Yahoo Michael McCleary, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
  16. "2018 USATF Championships Male Pole Vault Results - 6/21/2018 to 6/24/2018". Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  17. "2017 USATF Championships Results - 6/22/2017 to 6/25/2017 Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, California". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  18. "2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field Results - 6/30/2016 to 7/10/2016 Eugene, Oregon". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
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