Michael Klim

Michael Klim (2010)

Michael George Klim (born August 13, 1977 in Gdynia , Poland ) is a former Australian swimmer .

Life and career

Klim, who was born in Poland , first emigrated to Germany with his parents in 1981 . After working in India and Canada , the family has lived in Australia near Canberra since 1991 . The beginnings of swimming as a competitive athlete already began in Hamburg. He rose to become one of the world's best butterfly and crawl swimmers in Australia in the late 1990s. He was now an Australian citizen and took part in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta . The only medal, however, was the bronze medal with the Australian individual medley relay.

He experienced his breakthrough at the 1998 World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia . His yield: four golds out of a total of seven medals. After these successes, Klim returned to his home country Poland for the first time and was even received by the Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski . He continued to identify as a Pole with an Australian passport and the people of Poland saw him as a Polish swimmer and celebrated his championship successes just like other Polish athletes.

At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney he was one of the big favorites on the dolphin courses. He held the world record over 100 m dolphin, but was surprisingly beaten by the Swede Lars Frölander . After he had given up the 200 m freestyle course, a medal in the 100 m freestyle was an obligation for him. But even here he was only fourth and came away empty-handed. However, the games in their own country were still fondly remembered thanks to two gold medals with the freestyle relays. As the starting swimmer of the 4 × 100 m relay, he set a new world record over this distance in 0: 48.18 minutes.

Michael Klim started in the Australian freestyle relay at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and won the silver medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle.

After that, there were many indications that his sporting career would soon end. Klim finished his business studies and founded swimming schools in Australia under the name: Klim Swim . In Melbourne already five of these schools exist. In June 2007 he officially announced the end of his swimming career.

Klim lives in separation from Lindy Klim. They have three children together.