Athletes

Carolina Kluft has come a long way since her schooldays when, believe it or not, she was the class geek. But since being introduced to athletics at the age of 12, the Swede has used her physical prowess to gain respect.

With a pro-soccer player for a father and a mother who was a national-level long jumper, Carolina excelled in more than one event and started competing in the heptathlon in 1999, at the age of 16. One year later she won the world junior title. The European junior title came in 2001 and she won her second world junior crown in 2002, this time with a championship record: 6470 points.

By then she was mixing it with the seniors and took a bronze at the 2002 European Indoor Championships — the last time she would be beaten. She won the European senior gold — with a junior world record of 6542 — in 2002 and again in 2003, her first season as a senior.

It was clear to all that the world had a new multi-events star.

After winning the 2003 World Indoor Championships pentathlon title with the second-best score in history, she added the heptathlon world outdoor title to her tally, cracking the 7000-point barrier in the process. She won the Olympic title in 2004, a second world gold in 2005 and her second European gold in 2006.

Not forgetting, of course, her European indoor titles of 2005 and 2007 and her European Under-23 long jump titles of 2003 and 2005.

She has been so far ahead of her heptathlon opposition for so long that she has had no one to push her to challenge the world record of Jackie Joyner-Kersee (7291). Carolina won gold, her third, in the 2007 World Championships with a new PB of 7032 but has admitted that she is unlikely to break the world record — especially as she has put the heptathlon on the back burner for 2008 in order to concentrate on the long jump and learn the triple jump.

Has she found the challenge she's craved for so long?

Interview

Q You were still in high school when many people predicted you were a star of the future. How did you deal with that pressure?

A I really didn’t think about what people expected me to do. I had my own goals and I tried my best to focus on them. I knew it was going to take time for me to develop and that things were not going to happen overnight. Also my family has always helped me keep things in perspective.

Q You began your career as a soccer player. Why did you decide to pursue a career in athletics?

A I was just a child when I played soccer — it wasn’t really a ‘career’. When you are a child you try different sports and I thought athletics was the most fun.

Q After deciding not to defend your Olympic heptathlon title in Beijing, how is your training going for the long jump?

A Just fine. I am really enjoying the new training. I feel happy with my decision and I’m learning new things all the time. It’s a great challenge.

Q Are you planning to compete in the triple jump this summer?

A Yes, in a few competitions.

Q What are the bad things and what are the good things about no longer doing the heptathlon?

A I will miss the atmosphere and the girls in the heptathlon. I do sometimes also miss the high jump. The best part is that the new training is presenting me with a lot of new challenges.

Q You get very animated during a competition. Is the slapping of the thighs and face a premeditated act?

A It’s a trigger to make the body, and me, ready for maximum power.

Q Is it hard to maintain your intensity over two days of a heptathlon?

A It has been hard, but usually I am very focused and ready to keep the energy going for two days.

Q You have sponsored children in Africa since you were 16. What prompted you to do that?

A I felt that it was a good way for me to do one part in making this world a better place.

Q The annual Finland v Sweden Finnkampen match is a big deal. Why is this event so special?

A It’s a traditional and very competitive and friendly competition. I love to take part if it fits my schedule, which it usually does.

Q Do you have any plans for your future beyond athletics?

A No specific plans. I’m sure that I’m going to find something that I can enjoy doing after my athletics career.

Q Sweden has enjoyed great track and field success over the past six or seven years. Why is that?

A There is more than one explanation: good indoor facilities, good coaches, a lot of talented athletes, good training models and a great team feeling.