Ath: Sparkling Kluft takes Olympic heptathlon gold

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2004
Ath: Sparkling Kluft takes Olympic heptathlon gold

ATHENS, Aug 21 AFP - Carolina Kluft of Sweden won the Olympic heptathlon with a massive
winning margin tonight to cement her position as the greatest all-round woman athlete
in the world.

The 21-year-old went ahead from the second event of this competition and resisted the
intense heat of the two morning sessions to stay there.

She had virtually secured the gold with a strong performance in the penultimate event,
the javelin, and the event-closing 800m was a mere procession.

With Olympic gold in a score of 6,952 and last year's world championships crown, Kluft
can lay claim to be the best heptathlete since Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who won the 1988
and 1992 Olympic titles.

"It was two long days but I am very satisfied. The crowd and the competition were remarkable,"

Kluft said.

Reigning Olympic champion Denise Lewis dropped out of the competition with two events
remaining, the Briton complaining of a lack of motivation.

Austra Skujyte of Lithuania was more than 500 points behind in winning the silver medal
while Kelly Sotherton of Britain stepped out of Lewis' shadow to take bronze.

Kluft had lived up to her tag as one of the hottest favourites of these Games right
from the start.

The bubbly Swede opened with a competent 100 metres hurdles (13.21sec), a good high
jump (1.91 metres) and a high point-scoring personal best in the shot put (14.77m) before
drawing on her last reserves of energy in the final event of the first day, the 200m,
when 23.27sec.

As the second day got underway under a ferocious sun, she had a brief scare as she
fouled her opening attempt in the long jump, but she recovered to record a leap of 6.78m
to Sotherton's 6.51.

Kluft secured a distance of 48.89m in the javelin to virtually seal the gold medal
after a frustrated Sotherton fell back with a poor throw of 37.19m.

The Lithuanian threw 49.58 to move into second place.

Skujyte's only hope of closing the gap between her and Kluft was if the Swede fell
in the final event, the 800 metres.

But Kluft slogged around the two laps to finish third in her heat and after picking
herself up off the track she led her fellow competitors in taking a bow as the packed
stadium roared its approval.

AFP sp

KEYWORD: OLY ATH KLUFT LEAD

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