Sweden's Kluft leaves heptathlon behind

By Oliver Grassman

GOTHENBURG, Sweden (Reuters) - Carolina Kluft has always believed having fun was more important than winning even though she has been one of the toughest heptathlon competitors.

Still only 25, the Swede on Wednesday announced she would not defend her Olympic title in Beijing, saying that for now she wants to try her luck in the long jump and the triple jump.

While she may return to heptathlon one day, her rivals Lyudmyla Blonska of Ukraine and Briton Kelly Sotherton will now get a crack at gold in China instead of fighting for leftovers.

Kluft burst onto the scene as a bubbly 19-year-old when she won the 2002 European championships in Munich and has reigned undefeated since, raking in gold medals and adulation.

At the 2003 world championships in Paris, she finished on 7,001 points to win gold ahead of Eunice Barber and became only the third woman to break the 7,000 points barrier.

At the Athens Olympics a year later Kluft joined high jumper Stefan Holm and triple jumper Christian Olsson as they brought home a three-gold athletics haul for Sweden.

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