Carolina Klüft (SWE) (© Getty Images)
StockholmThe Swedish sports year of 2002 was formally concluded in magnificent style on Monday night (20 January), with the 4th edition of “The Swedish Sports Awards Gala” held in front of some 2000 dinner guests, 4000 paying spectators and probably a seven-digit TV-audience in the Globe Arena in Stockholm.
Despite fierce competition from the superstars of all other sports imaginable, the spectacle was transformed into “The Swedish Athletics Awards Gala”, because when the decisions of the Swedish Academy of Sports (consisting of former top athletes, coaches, leaders from all walks of sports plus renowned journalists) were announced the evening grew step by step into more or less a “Grand Slam” for Swedish athletics:
“Male athlete of the year” went to European Triple Jump champion Christian Olsson in competition with a speedway world champion, a wrestling world champion and the most valuable ice hockey player in the NHL!
“Female athlete of the year” went to European High Jump champion Kajsa Bergqvist ahead of a cycling world champion, a swimming world champion and a double olympic medallist in alpine skiing.
“Coach of the year” went to national head coach Ulf Karlsson (who by the way was once the personal coach of Sweden’s last European champion before Munich - Ann-Louise Skoglund who took the 400m Hurdles title in 1982) in competition with the wrestling national head coach (three world titles), the handball national coach (European champions) and Yannick Tregaro, the personal coach of double European Champion Christian Olsson.
“Performance/effort of the year” went to Carolina Klüft for her spectacular Heptathlon triumph at the European Championships. Her opponents for the award were the female cycling world champion, the silver medallist in the modern pentathlon world championships and an Olympic snowboard medallist.
The only two awards not going to athletics representatives were “Newcomer/rookie of the year” (won by Carolina two years ago) and - for obvious reasons - “Team of the year”.
This memorable athletics evening reached its final climax when the results of “The people’s choice” were announced. When over 600.000 votes from the Swedish people by mail, e-mail or telephone were tallied for the 24th edition of the prestigeous “Jerring award”, and the winner was - Carolina Klüft!
Those two days in the Munich Olympic Stadium in August, in one big stroke propelled this teenager from someone regarded by really keen Swedish athletics fans as a great talent for the future, into an instant national hero and a celebrity. Her popular appeal had already manifested itself about a month before when on a national radio show she was voted “Swede of the year”, in competition with a journalist and a lawyer, both of whom had through their work really made a mark last year on the Swedish society!
Within Swedish athletics we knew before this gala that 2002 was our most successful year on the international scene for over half a century. The best ever European Indoors was followed by the best European Outdoors since 1946, and on the “Track & Field News” world rankings you also had to go back to the 1940’s to find a better year.
These are not necessarily facts that impress people who don’t belong to the section of athletics specialists, but Monday evening certainly proved that both the rest of the Swedish sports family and the Swedish people as a whole, had recognised what a special year 2002 was for Swedish athletics.
However, the euphoria felt by Kajsa, Christian and Carolina and the whole Swedish athletics family must quickly be put into the trophy cupboard of great memories, because in the world of sports, old merits and awards count for nothing when you get into new competitions.
In just four weeks the award winners will all be back in the very same arena, although the dinner tables and the big stage will then have been replaced by a running track and jumping runways for the 14th edition of the Energizer EuroSeries meet “GE Galan”. Then, if not earlier, they will become very much aware of the high expectations for 2003, that the very special 2002 has raised among the Swedish population.
A. Lennart Julin for the IAAF
