World and Olympic champion Carolina Klüft of Sweden has won the pentathlon gold medal after trailing in three events on the opening day of the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England.
Klüft, last year's European Athlete of the Year, was trailing the five-event competition after the high jump, shot put and 60-meter hurdles race. However, her first-place leap in the long jump (six meters, 59 centimeters) and a second place in the 800-meters race, gave her a winning total of 4,944 points.
Britain's Kelly Sotherton was second (4,927 points) and Karin Ruckstuhl of the Netherlands was third (4,801 points). Klüft has not lost a multi-sport event in five years.
The European championship is being held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham and features more than 500 athletes from 45 countries. The competition continues through Sunday.
In other events, Susanna Kallur of Sweden won the women's 60-meters hurdles event in 7.87 seconds. Aleksandra Antonova of Russia was second (7.94) while Kirsten Bolm of Germany finished third (7.97).
Dutch sprinter Gregory Sedoc won the men's 60-meters hurdles (in 7.63 seconds) with compatriot Marcel van der Westen second (7.64) and Jackson Quinonez of Spain third (7.65 seconds).
Slovakia's Mikulas Konopka won the men's shot put gold medal with a winning toss of 21 meters, 57 centimeters. Pavel Lyzhyn of Belarus took silver (20.82) and Joachim Olsen of Denmark won bronze (20.55).
Some information for this report provided by AP.