Michael Klim
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Michael Klim OAM (born August 13, 1977 in Gdynia) is a Polish-born Australian swimmer.
Klim was first selected to represent Australia in the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada in 1994, while still a student at Wesley College, Melbourne. In 1996, he arrived at the Atlanta Olympics ranked first in the world for the 200 m freestyle, but was surprisingly eliminated in the heats. He rebounded to qualify for a finals position in the 100 m butterfly, and swam the freestyle leg in the 4×100 m medley relay, in which Australia claimed a bronze medal.
1998 was Michael Klim's year in the sun. In January, the World Championships were held in Perth, and in front of a boisterous home crowd, he was the leading swimmer of the meet. He triumphed in the 200 m freestyle and the 100 m butterfly, and added silver in the 100 m freestyle, and 50 m freestyle. He was a member of each of Australia's three relay teams, winning gold in the 4×200 m freestyle relay and 4×100 m medley relay, and a silver in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. For his achievements he was named the swimmer of the year by SwimmingWorld magazine.
In 1999, he set a world record in the 100 m butterfly, in a FINA sanctioned time trial (51.81 s). It was broken at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona by the Ukrainian Andriy Serdinov in the first semifinal of the 100 m butterfly, and then broken another time in the next semifinal by Michael Phelps.
In 2000, at the Sydney Olympics, Klim set a world record (48:18) leading off the 4×100 m freestyle relay, which paved the way for a world record (3:13.67). Three days later, he was part of the 4×200 m freestyle relay, which set another world record (7:07.05), which left the opposition over 5 seconds in arrears on its way to victory. He entered the 100 m freestyle as the world record holder, but his feats in the relay left him fatigued, coming home in 4th place, behind Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband, who claimed the world record (47.84) in a semifinal. Again in the 100 m butterfly, he was the world record holder, but was cut down in the closing stages by Sweden's Lars Frölander, finishing second. He also claimed silver as part of the 4×100 m medley relay team.
In 2001, hampered by an ankle injury, Klim was restricted to relay duties, and contributed to another world record, winning gold in the 4×200 m relay (7:04.66). He also collected a gold medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay.
In 2002 and 2003, he did not compete, due to chronic back and shoulder problems.
In 2004, at the Athens Olympics, he returned to relay duties, collecting a silver in the 4×200 m relay.
In 2005, he swam at the World Championships in Montreal, in the 100 m freestyle, returning to individual action, but failed to progress past the semifinals. He won bronze as part of the 4×100 m freestyle relay.
He is married to Balinese princess and former model, Lindy Rama, who grew up in Tasmania. She gave birth to their first child, daughter Stella, in early 2006, the couple marrying shortly thereafter.
On 26 June 2007 Klim announced his retirement from swimming.
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[edit] Personal life
Klim married former model, fashion entrepreneur, and Balinese princess, Lindy Rama in April 2006. On January 27, 2006, Rama gave birth to daughter Stella, in Melbourne, Australia.[6] On May 10, 2008, Rama and Klim welcomed their second child, Rocco, in Sydney.[7] Lindy is a niece of the King of Denpasar, and is therefore considered a princess in Bali.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- {{FINA name|id=AUS_mKlim|name=Michael
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- FINA profile for Michael Klim
- Swimming Australia profile for Michael Klim
[edit] References
- ^ ESPN Sydney Swimming. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ 2004 Olympic Games swimming results. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ Montreal 2005 Results. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
- ^ 12th FINA World Championships. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
- ^ Swimming Schedule and Results. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ AdelaideNow... Klim is lapping up fatherhood
- ^ Klims welcome baby boy Rocco | Herald Sun
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Alexander Popov |
Men's 100 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) 16 September 2000–19 September 2000 |
Succeeded by Pieter van den Hoogenband |
| Preceded by Denis Pankratov |
Men's 100 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) October 9, 1997 – July 25, 2003 |
Succeeded by Andriy Serdinov |
| Preceded by Denis Pankratov |
Men's 100 metre butterfly world record holder (short course) January 22, 1998 – December 14, 1998 |
Succeeded by James Hickman |
| Preceded by James Hickman |
Men's 100 metre butterfly world record holder (short course) September 2, 1999 – March 16, 2000 |
Succeeded by Lars Frölander |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Denis Pankratov |
World Swimmer of the Year 1997 |
Succeeded by Ian Thorpe |
Preceded by Danyon Loader |
World Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year 1996 |
Succeeded by Ian Thorpe |
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