Carolina Klüft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Carolina Klüft

Carolina Klüft in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Carolina Evelyn Klüft
Born	(1983-02-02) 2 February 1983 (age 42) Borås, Sweden
Height	1.78 m
Weight	65 kg
Sport
Country	Sweden
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Heptathlon and pentathlon, long jump, triple jump
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Sweden Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 3 0 0 World Indoor Championships 1 0 1 European Championships 2 0 0 European Indoor Championships 2 0 1 Total 9 0 2 Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Heptathlon World Championships Gold 2003 Paris Heptathlon Gold 2005 Helsinki Heptathlon Gold 2007 Osaka Heptathlon World Indoor Championships Gold 2003 Birmingham Pentathlon Bronze 2004 Budapest Long jump European Championships Gold 2002 Munich Heptathlon Gold 2006 Gothenburg Heptathlon European Indoor Championships Gold 2005 Madrid Pentathlon Gold 2007 Birmingham Pentathlon Bronze 2002 Vienna Pentathlon

Carolina Evelyn Klüft is a famous Swedish athlete who used to compete in track and field events. She was born on February 2, 1983. Carolina was especially good at combined events like the heptathlon and pentathlon. These events test athletes in many different skills. She also competed in the long jump and triple jump.

Carolina was an Olympic Champion in 2004, winning the heptathlon gold medal. She also won the World Championships in heptathlon three times in a row. She was a World Indoor pentathlon champion and a two-time European heptathlon champion. From 2002 to 2007, Carolina was unbeatable in 22 combined events. She won nine gold medals in major championships during this time. She is the only athlete to win three world titles in the heptathlon in a row.

Carolina first became well-known in 2002. She won the heptathlon at the European Championships. She also set a new world junior record for young athletes. In 2003, she won her first World Championships. She was only the third athlete to score over 7,000 points in the heptathlon. This is a very high score! Her personal best score of 7,032 points is a European record. It ranks her second on the all-time list, just behind Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Besides her success in combined events, Carolina also did well in the long jump. She won a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in 2004. She also finished fourth at the World Championships in 2011. Carolina officially retired from sports on September 2, 2012.

About Carolina Klüft

Carolina grew up in Växjö, Sweden. Her family is very sporty. Her dad, Johnny, played professional football. Her mom was an international long jumper. Carolina started playing football herself. But at age twelve, she began doing athletics. She found that sports helped her gain respect at school. In 2000, her coach, Agne Bergvall, suggested she try the heptathlon. He has been her main coach ever since.

Carolina is 1.78 meters (about 5 feet 10 inches) tall. She weighs 65 kilograms (about 143 pounds). Her body type was perfect for multi-events. She was tall and lean for running and jumping. But she was also strong enough for events like shot put and javelin. She was naturally good at jumping, sprinting, and hurdles. She also worked hard to improve in throwing and the 800-meter run. This meant she had no weak events in the heptathlon.

She was also part of Sweden's 4 × 100 meter relay team. They even set a national record. Carolina was good friends with British rival Kelly Sotherton. They were often seen chatting during competitions. Carolina often led other heptathletes on a lap of honor after big events. People who know her often call her 'Carro'.

When she wasn't training, Carolina studied Peace and Development at Linnaeus University. She visited areas in Sri Lanka affected by the 2004 earthquake. She made a film there for Swedish TV. She also helps sponsor children in Africa. Carolina had a small stuffed toy of Eeyore that she took everywhere. She said it wasn't for luck. It was to remind her that sports should be fun.

Carolina is one of the few athletes to hold all five major international titles. These include Olympic, World Outdoor, European Outdoor, World Indoor, and European Indoor titles.

Carolina's Amazing Career

Winning Her First European Title in 2002

Carolina was an amazing young athlete. In 2002, at just 19 years old, she set a world junior record. She scored 6,470 points in the heptathlon. She then won her first big championship title. This was at the 2002 European Championships in Munich. She improved her own world junior record there.

Becoming a World Champion in 2003

In 2003, Carolina won the pentathlon title. This was at the World Indoor Championships. She then had personal bests and wins in other heptathlons. She won her first major outdoor title in Paris. This was the heptathlon at the 2003 World Championships. She scored 7,001 points. This made her only the third woman to ever score over 7,000 points. She set six personal bests in the seven events. She almost got eliminated from the long jump. But she made her best jump on her last try. She was later named the European Athlete of the Year.

Olympic Gold in Athens 2004

Carolina won a bronze medal in the long jump in 2004. This was at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest. She then got ready for the 2004 Olympics by winning more heptathlons. She won the heptathlon gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She scored 6,952 points. She took the lead early and kept it throughout the competition. She won by a huge margin. She also competed in the long jump final, finishing 11th.

Second World Title in 2005

Carolina started 2005 by winning the pentathlon. This was at the European Indoor Championships. She set a new personal best score. Before the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, she hurt her foot. This injury affected her performance. But she made an amazing comeback. She had a personal best in shot put. She then took the lead after the 200-meter race. She kept her lead and won the title again. She finished with 6,887 points.

Another European Title in 2006

Carolina decided not to compete in the 2006 World Indoor Championships. She wanted to focus on the European Championships. These were held in her home country, Sweden. She won again in other events leading up to it. She defended her title at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. She won with 6,740 points. She was dealing with injuries. But she still won easily. She also competed in the individual long jump, finishing 6th.

Third World Title in 2007

Carolina won the 2007 European Indoor Championships. She won by a small margin over Kelly Sotherton. She almost broke the world pentathlon record. She only did one heptathlon before the World Championships. This was her fifth win in that event.

At the World Championships in Osaka, Carolina had a chance to make history. She could become the only woman to win three world titles in the heptathlon. She faced tough competition. But she started strong. She matched her personal best in hurdles. She set a new personal best in high jump. She performed well in other events too. She kept the lead after the first day. On the second day, she continued to do well. She claimed her third World Championship gold medal. She set a personal best score of 7,032 points. This put her second on the all-time list. It also broke an 18-year-old European record.

Changes and Injuries in 2008-2011

In 2008, Carolina had an injury. She announced she would not compete in heptathlons that year. This included defending her Olympic title. She said she was no longer motivated for heptathlons. Instead, she focused on the long jump and triple jump. She competed in both at the 2008 Olympics. She did not qualify for the triple jump final. She finished ninth in the long jump.

In 2009, Carolina missed the World Championships. She had a hamstring injury and needed surgery. She spent about six months recovering. In 2010, she competed in the European Championships. She reached the long jump final. She finished 11th. She said she was happy to reach the final.

The long jump at the 2011 World Championships was Carolina's last major competition. She finished fourth. She was just 18 centimeters away from a bronze medal.

Carolina officially ended her career on September 2, 2012.

Achievements

Carolina Klüft with her medals in 2007

International Competitions

Representing  Sweden

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result	Notes
2000	World Junior Championships	Santiago, Chile	1st	Heptathlon	6056 pts	WJL
2001	European Junior Championships	Grosseto, Italy	1st	Heptathlon	6022 pts	SB
2002	European Indoor Championships	Vienna, Austria	3rd	Pentathlon	4535 pts	PB
	World Junior Championships	Kingston, Jamaica	1st	Heptathlon	6470 pts	WJR
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	1st	Heptathlon	6542 pts	WJR
2003	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	Pentathlon	4933 pts	CR NR
	European U23 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	1st	Long jump	6.86 m	CR NR
	World Championships	Paris, France	1st	Heptathlon	7001 pts	WL NR
2004	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	3rd	Long jump	6.92 m	NR
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	11th	Long jump	6.63 m
			1st	Heptathlon	6952 pts	WL SB
2005	European Indoor Championships	Madrid, Spain	1st	Pentathlon	4948 pts	WL CR NR
	European U23 Championships	Erfurt, Germany	1st	Long jump	6.79 m
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	1st	Heptathlon	6887 pts	WL SB
2006	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	5th	4 × 100 m relay	44.16
			6th	Long jump	6.54 m
			1st	Heptathlon	6740 pts	WL CR
2007	European Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	Pentathlon	4944 pts	WL SB
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	1st	Heptathlon	7032 pts	WL AR
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	8th	Long jump	6.49 m
			18th (q)	Triple jump	13.97 m
2010	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	11th	Long jump	6.33 m
2011	European Team Championships Super League	Stockholm, Sweden	2nd	Long jump	6.73 m	SB
	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	4th	Long jump	6.56 m

Personal Best Scores

Other Wins and Awards

• IAAF Golden League
  • 2006 Oslo Bislett Games (Long jump)
• IAAF Combined Events Challenge Overall winner: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
  • Hypo-Meeting: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

National Titles in Sweden

• Swedish Athletics Championships
  • 100 metres: 2003, 2004, 2011
  • 200 metres: 2005
  • High jump: 2004
  • Long jump: 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011
• Swedish Indoor Athletics Championships
  • Long jump: 2002, 2003, 2004

Other Honours

• European Athlete of the Year Trophy: 2003 and 2006
• Jerring Award: 2002

See also

In Spanish: Carolina Klüft para niños