No 1 in Sweden…
This was Tommys Karls second consecutive Swedish Surfski Championships… In fact, Tommy has never lost a surfski race in Sweden… He is undefeated…
This amazing guy is 49 years old. You have to consider that it is 26 years since he won a Silver at the Olympics in Los Angeles. I guess half of his rivals today were not even born in -84…
I have known Tommy for more than 30 years and we were both in the Swedish National Team back in the eighties. We raced together in the K4 10.000 m event at the World Championships in 1985 were we won a Silver.
I recently looked at a bunch of old kayaking pictures from the past, and I found Tommy on some of them, always with a big smile, and always very fit. What is really amazing is that he seems to be even more fit now, some 25 years later. Very muscular and no body fat at all… My guess is that he will stay undefeated here in Sweden until he quits.
A couple of weeks ago when we spent a weekend with Rui Aguiar in Portimao (Portugal) he suddenly said; “when I turn 50 I’m going to quit paddling and start surfing instead”.
But I find it hard to believe that he will ever quit paddling… I know he is training for next years Molokai, and he talks about Mauritius and some other races far away from Sweden…
What a guy! I take my hat off to you Tommy.
Ha – that’s what is so cool about surfski as a sport… Tommy said to me that he’s not so strong now on the flat (pretty modest considering he lead the way from the start – on flat water!) but that he’s getting more and more confident and better and better in the waves.
And that’s the key – it’s the skill in the waves that enables older paddlers to be competitive.
I think you’re right – Tommy is having far too much fun in the surfski to stop paddling any time soon! I sure hope so!
av: Rob den augusti 2, 2010
, kl. 11:20 f m
The fact that the bastard is a bachelor again since this winter definately is not helping us eiter!… more ripped then ever.
Wel done Tommy!
av: Paul den augusti 2, 2010
, kl. 12:52 e m
You are in love. Did you race this weekend?
av: Jens den augusti 3, 2010
, kl. 6:24 f m