Michael George Klim,OAM (born 13 August 1977) is an Australianswimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and former world record-holder of the 1990s and 2000s. He is known as the creator of straight-arm freestyle.
Klim was born inGdynia, Poland, in 1977. Shortly after his birth, his father was appointed tradeattaché to the Polish consulate in Bombay, and together with his older sister he learned to swim there. The family returned to Gdynia after five years. They left Poland in 1987 and lived in Hamburg, Germany, where as a 10-year-old he competed nationally for a local swimming club. His father applied for a business visa for Australia, but as the process was slow, they also applied for Canadian visas and soon moved to Toronto. Nine months later, their Australian visa was granted. The family arrived in Melbourne on 30 April 1989.[1] Klim was educated at theUniversity High School, Melbourne, andWesley College, Melbourne, where he was later employed as the college's elite head coach of swimming.
In 1999, he set a world record in the 100 mbutterfly twice, in aFINA-sanctioned time trial (51.81 s). It was broken at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona by the UkrainianAndriy Serdinov in the first semifinal of the 100 m butterfly, and then broken another time in the next semifinal byMichael Phelps. Phelps's record was bested byIan Crocker in the final the following day.
Klim wasAustralian Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year in 1998 and 1999 and was inducted into the AIS 'Best of the Best' in 2001.[2] 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.[3] Ultimately Klim failed to qualify for the team and he retired from competitive swimming for a second time.
After his second retirement from swimming, in 2008, Klim became founder and CEO of a skin care company named "Milk and Co". During Covid-19, he stepped away from that business to establish his swim school in Bali, Klim Swim in 2021.[4]
In 1996, he arrived at theAtlanta Olympics ranked first in the world for the 200 mfreestyle, 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.
1998 was 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.
At the2000 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 byPieter 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 bySweden'sLars Frölander, finishing second. On the final night he claimed silver as part of the 4×100 m medley relay team.
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.
In 2002 and 2003, due to chronic back and shoulder problems, 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.
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.
Klim marriedLindy Rama, a former model and fashion entrepreneur, in April 2006. The couple have two daughters,[5] and a son.[6] Klim and Rama moved to Bali in 2010 to raise their family but announced their separation in February 2016.[7] Klim shares custody of his children and continues to live betweenBali and Australia with his partner, Michelle Owen.[8]
In July 2022, Klim revealed that he had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorderchronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 2020, which has affected his legs and feet and left him struggling to walk unassisted.[10][11]
In 2024, his autobiographyKlim, written with sports journalist Nicole Jeffery, was published byHachette.[12]
Men's 4×100m Medley Relay
200m Freestyle
100m Freestyle
