Michael Klim

Michael Klim
OAM

Personal information
Full name	Michael George Klim
National team	Australia
Born	(1977-08-13) 13 August 1977 (age 46) Gdynia, Poland
Height	191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Melbourne Vicentre, Australian Institute of Sport
Medal record Men's swimming Representing Australia Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 3 1 World Championships (LC) 7 2 2 World Championships (SC) 5 5 4 Pan Pacific Championships 5 6 0 Commonwealth Games 5 3 3 Total 24 19 10 Olympic Games 2000 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle 2000 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle 2000 Sydney 100 m butterfly 2000 Sydney 4×100 m medley 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle 1996 Atlanta 4×100 m medley World Championships (LC) 1998 Perth 200 m freestyle 1998 Perth 100 m butterfly 1998 Perth 4×200 m freestyle 1998 Perth 4×100 m medley 2001 Fukuoka 4×100 m freestyle 2001 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle 2007 Melbourne 4×100 m medley 1998 Perth 100 m freestyle 1998 Perth 4×100 m freestyle 1998 Perth 50 m freestyle 2005 Montreal 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) 1995 Rio de Janeiro 4×200 m freestyle 1997 Gothenburg 4×200 m freestyle 1997 Gothenburg 4×100 m medley 1999 Hong Kong 4×100 m freestyle 1999 Hong Kong 4×100 m medley 1995 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m freestyle 1995 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m medley 1999 Hong Kong 100 m freestyle 1999 Hong Kong 200 m freestyle 1999 Hong Kong 100 m butterfly 1995 Rio de Janeiro 200 m freestyle 1997 Gothenburg 100 m freestyle 1997 Gothenburg 100 m butterfly 1997 Gothenburg 4×100 m freestyle Goodwill Games 2001 Brisbane 100 m freestyle 2001 Brisbane 100 m butterfly 2001 Brisbane 4×100 m freestyle 2001 Brisbane 50 m butterfly Pan Pacific Championships 1997 Fukuoka 100 m freestyle 1997 Fukuoka 200 m freestyle 1999 Sydney 100 m freestyle 1999 Sydney 100 m butterfly 1999 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle 1999 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle 1995 Atlanta 4×100 m freestyle 1997 Fukuoka 100 m butterfly 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m freestyle 1997 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley 1999 Sydney 200 m freestyle Commonwealth Games 1998 Kuala Lumpur 100 m freestyle 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m freestyle 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×200 m freestyle 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m medley 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m medley 1998 Kuala Lumpur 200 m freestyle 2006 Melbourne 100 m butterfly 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle 1998 Kuala Lumpur 50 m freestyle 1998 Kuala Lumpur 100 m butterfly 2006 Melbourne 50 m butterfly

Michael George Klim, OAM (born 13 August 1977) is a Polish-born Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, world champion, and former world record-holder of the 1990s and 2000s. He is known as the creator of straight arm freestyle.

Early years

Klim was born in Gdynia, Poland. He was educated at the University High School, Melbourne and Wesley College, Melbourne where he was later employed as the college's elite head coach of swimming. Klim began swimming after falling out of a window, when it was suggested to him that a low impact exercise would aid his recovery.

Career

Klim was first selected to represent Australia in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, while still a student at Wesley College, Melbourne.^{[citation needed]} For his achievements he was named the Male Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine in 1997.

In 1999, he set a world record in the 100 m butterfly twice, 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. Phelps's record was bested by Ian Crocker in the final the following day.

Klim was Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year in 1998 and 1999 and was inducted into the AIS ' Best of the Best' in 2001.^[1] Klim was the only Australian to win a gold medal at both the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

On 26 June 2007 Klim retired from competitive swimming; he finished the year ranked 94 in the 100 freestyle with the Olympics 14 months away. However on 14 February 2011 Klim announced his return to competitive swimming, hoping to compete in the London 2012 Olympics.^[2] Ultimately Klim failed to qualify for the team and he retired from competitive swimming for a second time.

Medal achievements

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 in the 100m butterfly, and swam the freestyle leg in the 4×100 m medley relay, in which Australia claimed a bronze medal.

• Atlanta Olympics (USA) :
  • Men's 4×100m Medley Relay.

1998 was Michael Klim's year in the sun. In January, the World Aquatics Championships were held in Perth, Western Australia, 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 bronze in the 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.

• FINA World Championships 1998 in Perth, Australia:
  • 200m Freestyle.
  • 100m Freestyle.
  • 50m Freestyle.
  • 100m Butterfly.
  • 4×100m Freestyle Relay.
  • 4×200m Freestyle Relay.
  • 4×100m Medley Relay.

At the 2000 Summer 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. His 100m freestyle world record bested by Pieter van den Hoogenband in the semi's, in the final he finished with a bitter 4th place, he turned first at the wall but he claimed his legs gave away in the second half. In the 100 m butterfly, he was the world record holder, again turning first at the wall heavily under world record pace, but was cut down in the closing stages by Sweden's Lars Frölander, finishing second. On the final night he claimed silver as part of the 4×100 m medley relay team.

• 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia:
  • 100m Butterfly.
  • 4×100m Freestyle Relay.
  • 4×200m Freestyle Relay.
  • 4×100m Medley Relay.

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.

• FINA World Championships 2001 in Fukuoka, Japan:
  • 4×100m Freestyle Relay.
  • 4×200m Freestyle Relay.

In 2002 and 2003, due to chronic back and shoulder problems, Michael Klim was inactive throughout these years.

Klim failed to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics, but was later selected as part of the relay team, which came second behind USA in the 4×200m, race. The relay team did not win a medal in the 4x100m and failed to qualify for the medley relay final.

• 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece:
  • 4×200m Freestyle Relay.

In 2005, Klim swam at the World Aquatics in Montreal, returning to individual action, but failed to progress to the finals in the 50m & 100m Freestyle. He won bronze as part of the 4×100 m freestyle relay.

• FINA World Championships 2005 in Montreal, Canada:
  • 4×100m Freestyle Relay.

In 2007, he swam as part of the B team in the Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay, in the final the Australian team won the gold medal.

• 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia:
  • 4×100m Medley Relay.

Personal life

Klim married Lindy Rama, a former model and fashion entrepreneur, in April 2006. The couple have two daughters,^[3] and a son.^[4] Klim and Rama announced their separation in February 2016.^[5] Michael Klim shares custody of his children with his ex-wife and continues to live in Bali with his current partner Michelle Owen.^[6]

After his second retirement from swimming Klim became founder and CEO of a skin care company named "Milk and Co". He has since stepped away from that business to establish his swim school in Bali, Klim Swim.^[7] Klim supports the St Kilda Saints in the Australian Football League.^[8]

In July 2022, Klim revealed that he had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 2020, which has affected his legs and feet and left him struggling to walk unassisted.^[9][10]

See also

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 50 metres butterfly
• World record progression 100 metres butterfly
• World record progression 100 metres freestyle
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
• World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay

References

External links

• Michael Klim at World Aquatics
• Michael Klim at SwimRankings.net
• Michael Klim at Olympics.com
• Michael Klim at Olympedia
• Michael Klim at the Australian Olympic Committee
• Michael Klim at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)
• Michael Klim at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games (archived)
• Michael Klim at Commonwealth Games Australia
• Michael Klim on Instagram