Michael Klim returns to MSAC

In this special Olympic year, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane with Olympian and all-round swimming icon, Michael Klim.  

Mention the name ‘Michael Klim’ to most Australians, and no doubt they’ll recall the moment they witnessed the animated swimmer playing an air guitar on pool deck at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.   

24 years on, the memory is still just as strong for the Olympic gold medallist and former world record-holder.  

“A lot of people come up to me and say they can recall exactly where they were during that moment,” he recalls while on-site at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC).  

“It had everything; it had the drama, it had a lot of theatre, it was a really special moment.”  

Klim returned to MSAC for a photo shoot for his upcoming book, to be released late-August 2024.   

It’s a place that holds a lot of memories for the former Wesley College student, who spent a lot of time training at the centre ahead of his many local and international appearances.  

“It’s actually surreal, coming back here because it represents a really important period of my life,” he reflects.   

Not only for his starting journey into swimming, but for some special memories from the 2006 Commonwealth Games, after coming back from injury.  

“Swimming here at the Commonwealth Games with literally my entire family and my friends to win gold in Melbourne in the last event on the program was pretty special.”  

That journey wasn’t without struggle. In late 2002, Klim required shoulder surgery and spent many hours on an adapted training schedule at MSAC.   

“I used to come here when I’d had my shoulder operation and the one thing that I used to do [when I came] back to this pool was focus on the things that I could do,” he remembers fondly.   

“I’d be up in the windows doing my spin class and even though I couldn’t swim, I was still watching my squad, and I’d come in here and do 30 to 40km a week of kicking.”  

“The mindset of focusing on what I could do, rather than what I can’t do, is still very prominent in my life.”  

Klim’s relentlessly positive mindset has come into sharper focus in recent years following his diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, an auto-immune disease that has affected his legs, and ability to walk unassisted.  

The support he received in the pool has also remained. Since his diagnosis, the swimming community have rallied around Klim, assisting him with accommodation, lifts to health appointments and plasma donations he’s required to have every 6 weeks.   

“When I first came out publicly about my condition, the whole swimming community has been checking up on me to make sure mentally I was doing ok. The thanks I have, I can’t even put into words.”  

In this Olympic year, Klim is happy to reminisce and is excited to watch the next generation of swimmers create new memories for us all.  

“I realise how important swimming is in our culture and that we do bring a lot of joy and happiness to Australians, so hopefully some of the new Aussies can do the same,” he said.   

“I think it’s really our chance to kind of shine and to reconfirm our position in the world of swimming.”  

Traditionally, Victoria hasn’t been the breeding ground for medal hopes in the pool. Mack Horton was the last Victorian to win a gold medal with his performance in the 400-metre freestyle at Rio 2016.  But Klim is pleased to see the 2024 team littered with Victorians, including Sam Williamson, who trains with Melbourne Vicentre.  

“With Sam being on the team, and a home boy right out of MSAC, it was great to see him get the win [at the Olympic trials].”  

“It’d be great to have a few more Victorians on that team,” he laughs. “It’s dominated by Queenslanders at the moment!”  

While Klim now lives in Bali, he’s no stranger to being back in Melbourne and at MSAC, supporting our young squad swimmers.   

As a professional athlete, Klim feels he had a “take, take, take approach for a long time” but now feels he’s in a position to be giving back.   

Klim held a clinic for MSAC Squads in late 2023 with fellow Olympian Brett Hall where 45 swimmers ran through 2 hours of pool drills and skills, focusing on sprinting and freestyle.  

“[The clinic] was a great way of being able to give back some knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years. So it’s not wasted, but also to help some of the Victorian swimmers.”  

KLIM – by Michael Klim is released on August 24.