One of the defining images of the 2000 Olympics was the shaven head and straight-arm freestyle action of Michael Klim windmilling to gold. Lately, however, he is becoming a household name as the face of blood donation recruitment following the contraction of an autoimmune disease.
The memoir begins with the Sydney Olympics, surrounding freestyle relay gold. Klim then takes the narrative back to his Polish beginnings, and his peripatetic childhood in India, Germany, Canada and Australia. Klim’s swimming shows early indicators of greatness. Soon he’s on his way to becoming a world champion and leveraging that success into business opportunities including his skincare range, Milk & Co. The Sydney Olympics are the sporting climax. Freestyle, butterfly and relay events – plus gold and silver medals – await.
Swimming at this level has its dangers. Shoulder, ankle and lower back injuries mean surgeries, rehab and decreased fitness. Having his body rebel against him is some sort of preparation for what lies ahead. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) doesn’t roll off the tongue. It’s a rare autoimmune disease – the peripheral nervous system being attacked by the body itself. Klim must rely on his mental strength now that his physical strength is diminished, but both are severely tested.
As with Olympic champions, there’s far more to Klim than swimming. This memoir takes us between the lane ropes with the three-time Olympic swimmer, candidly details his corporate and personal life, and then descends into a dark, unfamiliar medical environment where a champion human being is confronted with his own mortality but is still determined to make a positive impact on the world.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Klim is a renowned Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist and successful entrepreneur. His illustrious career in the pool spanned seventeen years. He competed in three Olympic Games and won six medals, including two gold. At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, he was instrumental in Australia’s thrilling 4 x 100m men’s relay victory, unleashing a world record lead off swim. He has won 11 Commonwealth Games medals and 26 World Championship medals, and has held 20 aquatic world records. In 1997, he was named Australian Swimmer of the Year and Swimming World Male Swimmer of the Year and in 2022, Michael was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Since 2020, Michael has lived with a rare autoimmune disorder, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). He has established the Klim Foundation to provide support to sufferers and champion the search for new treatments. Michael lives in Bali with his partner Michelle Owens and three children, Stella, Rocco and Frankie.
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