Sverre Helgesen (26 May 1903 – 4 November 1981) was a Norwegian high jumper, sports official and journalist.[1]
He was born in Bodø and died in Oslo.[2] He represented the sports club Bodø og Omegns IF, then IK Tjalve after moving to Oslo. When Norwegian athletics was split in a bourgeois camp and a Workers' Confederation of Sports, Helgesen eventually chose to move to the workers' club IF Rollo.[3]
His personal best jump was 1.91 metres, achieved in September 1925 in Moss.[4] This was a Norwegian record at the time.[3] At the 1924 Summer Olympics he finished eighth in the high jump final with a jump of 1.83 metres.[2] He became Norwegian champion in 1926 with a tied championship record of 1.90 metres. He also won national silver medals in 1924 and 1925.[5] In the standing high jump he won a bronze medal in 1923, silver in 1928 and gold in 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927.[6] After joining the workers' movement he won the high jump at the 1928 Spartakiad.[3]
Besides active sports he was sports editor of Arbeiderbladet from 1928 to 1973.[3] He was a board member of the Norwegian Athletics Association from 1945 through 1948.[7] He was also a jury member for awarding the Egebergs Ærespris.[8]