Carolina Kluft jumps for joy after earning a place in European championship final

FOR former world and Olympic heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft, scraping into the European championship long jump final as the last qualifier was a huge achievement.

Kluft, who completely tore a hamstring last July, was delighted to be back in the spotlight after being given a wild card by the Swedish team for the Barcelona event because she had failed to make the entry standard.

"It feels like a big victory. It's really great," a beaming Kluft told reporters after jumping a season best of 6.62 metres at a hot and sunny Olympic Stadium.

"It has been a really tough year for me… I missed so much training, but I'm so happy to be in a European championship final in the long jump. One year ago I was walking on crutches and now I'm standing here, so it feels really, really good.

"I want to jump further, of course. I want to jump up to my personal best, but I need more training, so next year I will be in better shape," added the 27-year-old who has a best distance of 6.97.

As a heptathlete, Kluft was unbeatable, winning 19 successive competitions between 2001 and 2007, including the 2004 Olympics, three world championship golds and the 2002 European title which she retained in front of her doting home crowd in Gothenburg four years later.

Then, in 2008, tired of her dominance, Kluft decided she needed a new challenge and turned her back on the multi-event discipline to concentrate on the long and triple jumps.

She was ninth in the long jump at the Beijing Olympics, did not qualify for the triple jump final and missed last year's world championships through injury.

For Kluft, the joy has always been in taking part and she was clearly ecstatic at being able to compete. She pumped her fists in delight as she walked out of the sandpit after her first effort of 6.62 in front of a sparse crowd sheltering from the blazing sun in the shady part of the stands.

"That's what makes sport wonderful: you can find your challenge in your little area which can make you so happy and go out there and do your best even if it's not for the medals," Kluft said.

Defending champion Lyudmila Kolchanova of Russia led the field with a try of 6.87 metres. And with world indoor champion Naida Gomes of Portugal also advancing, Kluft remained realistic about her medal chances.

"Even if I finish 12th I'm still happy. This time it was about taking a place in the final over any medal (thoughts]," she said.

Stanislav Emelyanov of Russia claimed the first gold medal of the European athletics championships, in the men's 20km walk, and Nadzeya Ostapchuk led a Belarussian 1-2 finish in the women's shot put.