Kersee's world mark beyond me, says Kluft

OSAKA, Japan, Aug 27 (Reuters) Carolina Kluft outdid heptathlon great Jackie Joyner-Kersee by becoming the first woman to win three world titles, but she does not think she will ever beat the American's world record.

The Swede set a personal best of 7,032 points and broke the European record but her tally was still 259 points shy of the mark Joyner-Kersee set in 1988.

''I think it's a great record and I really pushed myself over these last two days and I'm not even close to it,'' the 24-year-old Swede told a news conference.

''For me it's not really any more a goal. Jackie Joyner-Kersee was a great athlete and I'm not sure I'm as good as she was so that's not a source of motivation for me at all.'' Kluft's triumph at the Nagai Stadium extended her unbeaten run to 19 competitions over the last five and a half years but she still believes she can be bettered.

''No one is unbeatable,'' she said. ''I think the girls will just have to keep it up and try to beat me. Every competition is another chance to beat me, I'm not unbeatable, no one is.'' Mentally and physically fatigued after a tough weekend, Kluft again refused to be drawn on whether she would be in Beijing to defend her Olympic title next August.

''I never make plans for the next year until my season is over and I'm going to keep it that way,'' she said. ''I just know that after my few weeks off, I'll go into training hungry again because I know I've got so much more to give.'' Whether that hunger would be directed towards the heptathlon or a single event would not be decided by any records or milestones, Kluft said.

''I'm going to finish the heptathlon when I feel I'm ready for it and I don't know when that is,'' she said. ''It could happen any day ...

''It's like 'now I'm feeling, I'm finished, I want to do the long jump or I want to do another event, I want to move my focus to just one event'.

''When I feel I'm ready for that I'm going to take that decision. But right now I'm not ready for it.'' Osaka marked the conclusion of her heptathlon season, Kluft said, but she still hoped to get a wild card to compete in the long jump at next month's Grand Prix finals.

Not satisfied with her mastery of the seven heptathlon events, Kluft said she had been asked to have a go at the triple jump in an annual grudge match between Sweden and Finland.

''It's a really important competition and we have to beat the Finnish girls. I have to do everything for the team, so I'm going to do triple jump.'' REUTERS TB BD1348