For the first time at a World Cup, Yannick Tregaro will compete against Sweden.
Part of the explanation behind that is SOK’s choice to stop Maja Nilsson from competing at the Paris Olympics last year.
“It has hurt me personally,” he says.
Yannick Tregaro.
Photo: Henrik Jansson
Maja Nilsson.
Photo: Joel Marklund / Bildbyrån
Morgan Lake i Zürich.
Photo: Michael Buholzer / AP TT News Agency
Yannick Tregaro may think a lot.
– I think it’s between 2014 and 2017, that should be those years, he says.
The question? When he last did not have a practitioner in a Swedish championship squad.
-Otherwise, I have had at least one active every year since Christian Olsson’s debut at the indoor European Championships in Gent 2000, says Tregaro and laughs.
– It’s a lot of years.
19 years more precisely. But during 2025 it has changed.
In the record-sized Swedish squad, none of Tregaro is trained, but the 47-year-old is still in Japan for the championship. Since last fall, he trains British high jump Morgan Lake.
So for the first time in his career, Tregaro will lead an active from a country other than Sweden at a World Cup.
– Obviously it feels a bit strange like that, it does well. And I miss all my friends in the Swedish team.
Tregaro’s anger toward SOK: “It has hurt me as a person”
There are two reasons why it has become like this. One is coincidence, such as the long jumper Thobias Montler chose to move down to Skåne and change coaches and that Maja Nilsson chose to leave, only 24 years old.
The second is how Maja Nilsson’s career ended. Nilsson had problems with injuries for a long time, but wanted to end with the Olympics in Paris last summer. Nilsson’s season best (1.91) was within the Swedish Olympic Committee’s (SOK) nomination span and she had enough ranking to have qualified, but SOK said no.
– I’m still disappointed with it. It is so stupid that SOK has a policy not to send active as qualified. The whole event with Maja … It’s really hurt me as a person. You put down your whole soul, they qualify for the Olympics, but they must not join, he says.
Tregaro says that he received many international requests in previous years, but declined when he wanted to work with Swedes.
– But if Sweden should not care about its active, there is no reason for me to refuse international practitioners.
Expressen has been in contact with SOK Sports Director Fredrik Joulamo who believes that Tregaro’s criticism is unreasonable.
– We sent the biggest athletics squad for 40 years to the Paris Olympics. Maja was not taken out because she did not pass the qualifying limit of 193 centimeters that we agreed with the Athletics Association. Yannick was in the role of coach in which requirements were made, he says.
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Tregaro about the new adept’s success: “Fantastic”
This year, Yannick Tregaro has placed a great focus on Morgan Lake and she has taken huge steps. At Diamond Leaguegalan in Zurich this year, for the first time in his career, sailed up as medal candidate in Tokyo.
– It’s fantastic, really. I felt immediately when she heard from me last fall that it would be good.
What hopes do you have for the World Cup?
– It is such an incredible level at the height of the ladies right now. I think there are eight practitioners who have the capacity to jump two meters here and it feels shit that Morgan is one of them. So here, we hope to join and fight for it in the final, but it is important to do the job in the qualifying first.
And there you are facing the Swedes Engla Nilsson and Ellen Ekholm, how do you think it will be?
– I know them and their coach Per (Tedenrud) so incredibly well, so there will be no strange things, although in Tokyo I will be completely in Morgan’s ring corner.
Despite the disappointment against SOK, it is not a stated decision by Tregaro not to train Swedish active. On the contrary, he hopes soon to be part of a Swedish championship squad again.
– I want to continue and hope to get some new ones into the Swedish national team soon. I have a pretty big bunch I train, where I hope we get a lift in the coming years.
The women’s height qualifier begins on September 18, then the final will be decided on the last day of the World Cup, the 21st.
