Carolina Klüft
From WikiRun
| Carolina Klüft | |
| Height | 5'10" (178 cm) |
|---|---|
| Weight | 143 lbs (65 kg) |
| Nationality | Sweden |
| Born | February 2, 1983 at Borås, Västra Götaland, Sweden |
| Club | IFK Växjö, Växjö (SWE) |
Carolina Evelyn Klüft (1983-) is a Sweedish triple jumper and pentathlete who won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She is also a three-time World and double European heptathlon champion.
Klüft first rose to prominence by winning the heptathlon at the 2002 European Championships and setting a new world junior record of 6,542 points. She then won the 2003 World Championships becoming the third athlete ever to score over 7,000 points. She is the European record holder for heptathlon with a personal best of 7,032 points. This score ranks her second on the all-time heptathlon points score list, behind Jackie Joyner-Kersee who set the world record of 7,291 points.[1]
Klüft has been unbeaten in 22 heptathlon and pentathlon competitions since March 2002, winning nine consecutive gold medals in major championships.
She is the only athlete ever to win three world titles in heptathlon. She is also a member of the Swedish 4 x 100 m relay team at international competitions, and was part of the team that set the national record.
She is particularly friendly with British rival Kelly Sotherton, and the two can often be seen chatting during competitions. Klüft regularly leads the other heptathletes on a lap of honor after a major competition. She is often referred to by the nickname 'Carro' by people who know her.
When not training or competing, Klüft is a student at the University of Växjö, studying Peace and Development. She visited areas of Sri Lanka hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake to make a film for Swedish TV[2] and also sponsors children in Africa.
She is part of Reebok's "I am what I am" advertising campaign along with several other sports stars.[3] She has been the focus of poster photography for Reebok, taken by celebrity photographer Jason Bell.[4]
Klüft was nominated four times for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year awards from 2005-2008.[5]
She has a mascot, a small stuffed toy representing Eeyore, that she takes everywhere. Klüft claims that this is not for luck, but to remind her of her philosophy that sport is for fun.[6]
She is one of very few athletes to at some time hold all five available international titles: Olympic, World Outdoor, Regional (Europe in her case) Outdoor, World Indoor and Regional Indoor.
She entered both the long jump and triple jump at the 2008 Olympics. Her best effort of 13.90 m did not qualify her for the triple jump final. She ended ninth in the long jump with a result of 6.49 m.[7]
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Future plans
Although Klüft did not defend her heptathlon title at the Beijing Olympics, she has stated that she may still compete in another heptathlon, after the 2008 season.[8]
Klüft missed the 2009 World Championships in Berlin as well as the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury she picked up in July in Sweden. She had surgery in the middle of July, after which she needs around six months rehabilitation.[9]
Full Timeline of Multi-event Championship Performances
- 2000 Junior World Champion Heptathlon
- 2001 Junior European Champion Heptathlon
- 2002 European Indoor Bronze Medalist Pentathlon (last event she's lost to date)
- 2002 Junior World Champion Heptathlon (defending), World Junior Record
- 2002 European Champion Heptathlon, current World Junior Record
- 2003 World Indoor Champion Pentathlon
- 2003 World Champion Heptathlon, 3rd female past 7,000 points
- 2004 Olympic Champion Heptathlon
- 2005 European Indoor Champion Pentathlon
- 2005 World Champion Heptathlon (defending)
- 2006 European Champion Heptathlon (defending), championship record
- 2007 European Indoor Champion Pentathlon (defending)
- 2007 World Champion Heptathlon (defending), European record
International medals
Heptathlon
- Olympic Games
- 2004 - 6,952 p - Gold
- World Championships
- European Championships
- 2002 - 6,542 p - Gold
- 2006 - 6,740 p - Gold
- World Junior Championships
- 2000 - 6,056 p - Gold
- 2002 - 6,470 p - Gold
- European Junior Championships
- 2001 - 6,022 p - Gold
Long jump
- World Indoor Championships
- 2004 - 6.92 m - Bronze
- European U23 Championships
- 2003 - 6.86 m - Gold
- 2005 - 6.79 m - Gold
Pentathlon
- World Indoor Championships
- 2003 - 4,933 p - Gold
- European Indoor Championships
- 2002 - 4,535 p - Bronze
- 2005 - 4,948 p - Gold
- 2007 - 4,944 p - Gold
International awards
- Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year Trophy 2003 and 2006
Personal bests
| Event | Indoor | Outdoor |
|---|---|---|
| 4 x 100 metres | 43.61 s (NR) | |
| 4 x 400 metres | 3:31.28 min | |
| 60 metres | 7.40 s | |
| 60 metres hurdles | 8.19 s | |
| 100 metres | 11.48 s | |
| 100 metres hurdles | 13.15 s | |
| 200 metres | 24.12 s | 22.98 s |
| 400 metres | 52.98 s | 53.17 s |
| 800 metres | 2:13:04 min | 2:08.89 min |
| Heptathlon | 7,032 p (European record) | |
| High jump | 1.93 m | 1.95 m |
| Javelin throw | 50.96 m | |
| Long jump | 6.92 m (NR) | 6.97 m |
| Pentathlon | 4,948 p (NR) | |
| Shot put | 14.48 m | 15.05 m |
| Triple jump | 14.29 m (NR) |
External links
- sports-reference.com profile
- Blog about Carolina Klüft
- Carolina Klüft Fanspace
- sv:Carolina Klüft. Accessed August 11, 2005.
- "IAAF - International Association of Athletics Federations".
- SPIKES Hero profile on www.spikesmag.com
- "IAAF - Competition sites".
- IAAF - Carolina Klüft's biography. Retrieved on August 11, 2005.
- IAAF - World Rankings - Women's Heptathlon (Pentathlon ind.). Retrieved on August 31, 2005.
- IAAF - World Rankings - Best of July. Retrieved on August 11, 2005.
- "EAA - European Athletic Association".
- "EAA - Event Result Database".
- EAA - Carolina Klüft's biography. Retrieved on August 31, 2005.
- EAA - Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year Trophy. Retrieved on August 11, 2005.
- IAAF profile for Carolina Klüft
- Carolina Klüft in European Athletics Championships
- Carolina Klüft Pictures
- Carolina Klüft Fanlisting
References
- ↑ Top all-time heptathlon scores
- ↑ Plan Sri Lanka
- ↑ Carolina Kluft, I am what I am
- ↑ Extraordinary performances in an ordinary world
- ↑ Carolina Kluft: Laureus profile
- ↑ Stars of Athens 1: Carolina Kluft
- ↑ http://www.svd.se/sportspel/sommar-os/artikel_1601537.svd
- ↑ iaaf.org - Olympic Games
- ↑ Kluft to miss World Championships. BBC Sport (2009-07-09). Retrieved on 2009-07-09.
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