PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Carolina Klüft is one of Swedish sports’ greatest heroes.
And today is a very special day for the legend.
The former track and field athlete turns 40 years old!
During the early 2000s hit Carolina Klüft through like a whirlwind on the international sports scene and conquered the world with his winning skull and lovely personality. Already at the age of 22, the Swede had won everything there was to win and set a mighty record.
Klüft’s career
She then became the youngest athlete to win all five international gold medals in the Olympics, WC outdoor and indoor and EC outdoor and indoor. In 2012, Klüft chose to end his career prematurely and became a sports pensioner already at the age of 29.
The article continues after the picture.
When she looks back in her prize cabinet, it contains 1 Olympic gold, 4 WC gold, 4 EC gold, a whopping 17 SM gold and a total of 16 international championship medals. The Växjö daughter still holds both the European record and the junior world record in heptathlon.
READ MORE: Icon Carolina Klüft’s new life – this is how the Olympic gold medalist lives today: “It’s fantastic”
Her new life
After her career, she has been seen as both a TV presenter and acclaimed lecturer. Today, Kl¨üft is passionate about getting young people to move more and since 2019 has been operations manager for “Generation Pep”.
The article continues after the picture.
Otherwise, she lives a withdrawn life with her husband Patrik Klüft and their three children in Järvsö.
– I try to think about being in the present. You are always on your way somewhere and think: “Now I have to do this so I can do the next thing”. I sometimes find it difficult to stop and be here and now, enjoy the moment, let it be as it is and not think about the consequences. I think it’s important to create space and not have the schedule packed. Try to rest in the moment and not accelerate all the time, she says in an interview with the magazine Wellness.
– I have struggled my entire sports career with the expectation that you should be in certain ways and talk about certain things. It is important to think about how you want your everyday life to be and what you think is important. Sometimes it can go against the norm because you are expected to be efficient, it looks bad to have nothing to do all the time.
READ MORE: Gold hero Carolina Klüft reveals the big favorite team – and lets down her own hometown(!): “The answer is, of course…”
Important advice
Today, Carolina Klü¨ft turns 40 and tries to keep training going as well as possible. But she admits that it was a difficult adjustment to go from absolutely world-class elite athlete to just training in her spare time.
– It can be clever. Many have to start over and perhaps think: “What have I done with my life? I’ve only been training and competing, think how much my surroundings have had time for, and I’ve only been waltzing around arenas”. But I haven’t really experienced it as difficult. I have had to discover new things and sport has been a great school in many different ways. I have gained new knowledge and several basic experiences that will be used today. I may not have much use for being able to throw a javelin, but all the processes and challenges around have made me grow as a person, she admits in the interview.
If she herself can give advice to her 18-year-old self, it’s clear what she wants to convey to a younger version of herself.
– Not everyone will understand you and that’s as it should be. Don’t care what everyone thinks and thinks. Choose those you trust, take their advice and don’t think about what others say, she tells the newspaper and herself.
Share the article to congratulate Carolina Klüft on her 40th birthday!