BARCELONA, (Reuters) – For former world and Olympic heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft, scraping into the European championship long jump final as the last qualifier yesterday was a huge achievement.
Kluft, who completely tore a hamstring last July, was delighted to be back in the spotlight after being given a wild card by the Swedish team for the Barcelona event because she had failed to make the entry standard.
“It feels like a big victory. It’s really great,” a beaming Kluft told reporters after jumping a season’s best of 6.62 metres at a hot and sunny Olympic Stadium.
“It’s been a really tough year for me…I missed so much training but I’m so happy to be in a European championship final in the long jump.
“One year ago I was walking on crutches and now I’m standing here so it feels really, really good.
“I want to jump further of course. I want to jump up to my personal best but I need more training, so next year I will be in better shape,” added the 27-year-old who has a best distance of 6.97.
As a heptathlete, Kluft was unbeatable, winning 19 successive competitions between 2001 and 2007, including the 2004 Olympics, three world championship golds and the 2002 European title which she retained in front of her doting home crowd in Gothenburg four years later.