Anton Andersson

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Anton Andersson (born 12 March 1981) is a Swedish former triple jumper. He competed at one World Championship and one European Indoor Championship and won three outdoor Swedish titles and two indoor titles. He comes from Halmstad and represented IFK Halmstad. His breakthrough came at 17 in a long jump competition in Halmstad, where he jumped 7.40 metres. He later set a long jump best of 7.74 metres at the 2000 Swedish U23 championships in Västerås. In the same event he finished fifth at the Finland–Sweden International and competed at the 2000 World Junior Championships without a valid jump.

In the triple jump, Andersson won his first senior national medal—a bronze at the 2000 Swedish indoor championships. He became the Swedish U23 champion twice in 2001 and won a silver at the Swedish championships that year, with a personal best of 15.92 metres. He was coached by Yannick Tregaro in Örgryte IS and trained in the group of Olympic champion Christian Olsson. Andersson, who is 1.94 metres tall, was a powerful jumper.

In 2002 he first jumped past 16 metres indoors, with 16.12 m in Gothenburg and 16.39 m for indoor silver at the Swedish championships, earning a spot at the 2002 European Indoor Championships, where he did not reach the final. He then focused mostly on the triple jump, winning several Swedish meets, jumping 16.49 m at DN Galan, capturing his first Swedish championship title, and finishing second at the Finland–Sweden International.

In 2003 he won silver indoors and outdoors and competed at the European U23 Championships without reaching the final. After an end-of-year injury, he returned with an indoor bronze and outdoor gold in 2004, and repeated his 16.49 m personal best at the Finland–Sweden International, finishing second again. He won the Finland–Sweden International in 2005, with a season best of 16.43 m at the European Cup First League.

Missed much of 2006 and 2007 indoor season. In outdoor 2006 his bests were 15.81 m in Bedford, 16.07 m in Karlskrona, and 16.40 m in Celle Ligure, with a wind-assisted 16.77 m in Gavá. At the 2007 Swedish championships in Eskilstuna he won gold with 17.10 m, earning a place at the 2007 World Championships. He said his longest training jump was in Japan before Worlds, but he did not reach the final there. After Worlds he won the Finland–Sweden International again, and finished lower at the ISTAF Golden League meet. He became the fourth Swede to exceed 17 metres, after Arne Holm, Tord Henriksson and Christian Olsson, and he was inducted into Sweden’s hall of fame, receiving the Stora grabbars märke.

Andersson won the 2008 Swedish indoor title, but then missed most of 2008. The 2009 season brought indoor silver but no outdoor result. He won another indoor gold in 2010 but never again surpassed 16 metres. Injuries led him to change his takeoff foot in 2011. He jumped 16 metres at Världsungdomsspelen and won bronze at the Swedish championships with 16.21 m. In 2012 he won indoor silver and outdoor bronze, but he again failed to reach 16 metres. His last triple jump competition came in 2013, where he finished fifth at the Swedish indoor championships.

Note: Anton Andersson is not the same person as the hammer thrower who competed at the 2015 European Junior Championships.