Carolina Kluft in action in the Long Jump of the Heptathlon (© Getty Images)
If one thought that the second day of the women’s Heptathlon at the IAAF World Championships in Paris was going to be uninteresting after Sweden’s Carolina Kluft, last year’s World Junior and European champion had set four personal bests to lead by a massive 194 points over 1999 World champion and local heroine Eunice Barber, one couldn’t have been more wrong.
Coming into this second day of competition, the heptathletes lined up at the long jump pit to contest the fifth of the seven events.
Incidentally the Long Jump is the best event for both Kluft and Barber, the former having just grabbed the individual European under-23 title with a new personal best of 6.86m and the latter being the national record holder for the event with 7.01m.
Today, Barber opened with a 6.61m leap which would end up being her best result of the day while Kluft narrowly stepped on the plasticine and the judges raised the red flag. Her first jump was a foul.
Kluft was evidently disappointed, all the more because hers seemed to be a very good jump but she didn’t lose her focus.
Barber didn’t improve on her second attempt despite the tremendously loud support of this morning crowd and Kluft started her traditional preparation ritual. Slapping her cheeks and her thighs she was trying to canalise all the energy for what she hoped to be a good mark.
Again, she very narrowly fouled. Things were now serious.
We all remember how two years ago in Edmonton Barber was totally dominating the event before she had three fouls in the Shot Put and that was the end of her world title quest.
Maybe Barber thought about this moment when Kluft was facing her third and very last chance to remain on course for gold. Maybe Barber, who is returning after a two-year injury, thought this was her lucky time.
But certainly Kluft never thought that would be the end of her heptathlon today.
“No. I never thought I would have another foul. I knew I would have a legal jump,” said Kluft afterwards.
Before taking her third attempt Kluft gave the two thumbs up to the TV cameras, she clapped her hands in rhythm to ask for the crowd’s support – which she graciously received – and then started her runway to the take off board.
This time she made sure she wouldn’t step on that crucial red zone and took off a good 15 centimetres off the board. The white flag was raised. Her jump was valid.
Kluft anxiously waited for her result to flash on the score board and when it did she raised her fist towards her coaching staff. Not only had Kluft taken a legal jump, she had cleared 6.68m, the best jump of the day and 7 centimetres further than Barber’s best.
Relieved, Kluft lay down on the floor for a good 20 seconds probably to take in the fact that she came very close to disaster.
“It is hard to describe how I felt. I wasn’t nervous. I just tried to stay calm and be myself. I still wanted to have fun.
“I knew I had to get a result and I did it.”
How much simpler could life be for the 20-year-old who succeeds in everything she does?
“The problem today is that the track was very fast. I had to reduce my mark twice and still I fouled. For my last jump I reduced even more!”
After 5 events and with only the javelin and the 800m to go, Kluft is currently in the lead with 5209 points with Barber trailing in second with 4992.
There were hardly any doubts about the amazing talent of Kluft who is still en route for a new personal best and a 7000+ mark and today she also proved she has exceptional mental strength.
If one needed the confirmation that Carolina Kluft is a real champion, well there it is.
IAAF
