Michael Ponikvar

He is the Canadian high school record holder in the high jump and won his first Canadian Junior National Championship in 1997. This was also his first year competing internationally for the Canadian team as he won the gold medal in the high jump at the 1997 Pan American Junior Championships in Havana, Cuba and ranked #1 in the world for his age group. The next year he competed at the 1998 World Junior Championships where he jumped the same height as the winner but finished fourth on countback. He then competed for the Canadian nation team at the XVI Commonwealth Games that were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That same year he finished the season as the #1 high schooler in the world, but with a #2 world junior ranking behind the American Kenny Evans from the University of Arkansas. A year later, he won the first of three consecutive Pac-10 conference championships in addition to receiving his first of three All-American honors at the NCAA division I track and field championships. In addition he represented Canada in the World University Games in Spain. In 2000, he redshirted his season at Stanford to train for the Olympics. After obtaining the Olympic qualifying mark, ankle surgery denied him a trip to the Sydney Olympic games. During the 2001 and 2002 seasons, Ponikvar garnered his second and third All-American honours in addition to two more Pac-10 conference high jump titles, making a total of three conference titles while remaining undefeated at the prestigious championship event. In the 2002 season, he made the Olympic qualifying standard for the high jump. At the NCAA division I champions in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Ponikvar jumped 7-4 1/2 to tie the national champion (Tora Harris of Princeton), but Harris was awarded the victory on fewer misses. Ponikvar settled for third place, but another All-America honor. Again after injuries and surgery, this time to his back, Ponikvar was prevented from competing in the rest of the season and ultimately his jumping career.

Michael Ponikvar (born December 26, 1979) is a former world-class track and field athlete from Canada, who is known for competing in the high jump.