'I'm mixing it up': Aussie swimming legend Michael Klim rocks striking new look as he bravely opens up about his rare autoimmune disease
The 47-year-old, best known for his stellar performance at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where he took home gold in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, as well as silver in the 100m butterfly and 4x100m medley relay, first began noticing symptoms several years ago.
Initially attributing them to the toll of elite sport, further testing revealed Klim had CIDP - a disease that causes progressive muscle weakness, particularly in the lower limbs.
Appearing on The Project on Tuesday night from his home in Bali, the father-of-three showcased his new facial hair and opened up about the challenges of living with the condition.
"I'm just mixing it up, you know?" he said of the goatee.
"I've had one look for 47 years, so I had to come up with something different."
Despite his diagnosis, Klim said he's now in a good place physically and mentally.
"I'm feeling really well. Life has really stabilised physically and mentally since the diagnosis five years ago," he said, adding that the launch of his new charity, The Klim Foundation, felt like the natural next step.
"I feel like I'm up for the challenge- it's going to be a big one- but I think my history has given me a lot of insight and knowledge which I can now pass onto others that are going through this pretty tough journey."
The Polish-born Australian also spoke about how CIDP has affected his mobility.
"My mobility is compromised," he said, explaining he uses AFOs, ankle-foot orthoses, to help him stay mobile.
"With that assistance, I can still do most things. Unfortunately, some of my favourite things like surfing and playing tennis are kind of out of the question.
"But I had a ski for the first time in 12 years last year, so there are still a lot of things that you can do."
The goal of The Klim Foundation, he said, is to empower others living with CIDP and help them reclaim their lives.
"That can be achieved through things like blood donations, AFOs, the right physios, and also having the support of counsellors," he said.
"For me, mentally coming out of that hole and realising that life still had a lot to give was probably the biggest win."
The foundation was founded by Klim alongside his partner of two years, Michelle Owen.
It's board includes some of the biggest names in sport- Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and even Klim's former rival, American swimmer Gary Hall Jr, who once famously said he would "smash him like a guitar".
"The boys just wanted to help me raise the awareness of this condition," Klim said.
"We do have a board that's got a lot of experience," he added, referencing key members like Paul Bird from Mission Australia, Mark Saubi from Mark Sowerby, and his best friend, former Olympic table tennis player David Zalcberg.
"…It's going to take a group of champions to find not only a cure but to overcome this challenge."
Reflecting on Hall Jr's involvement, Klim laughed as he recalled their former rivalry.
"Gary - he's a diabetic, he's been in the medical field most of this life. He is probably the only Olympic gold medallist with diabetes," Klim said.
"He loves Australia, even though some of the Aussies don't like him.
"I'm going to make it my mission he'll be a favoured Aussie very soon."
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