Valeria Lukyanova

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Ariane Friedrich

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Valeria Lukyanova

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For Friedrich, simply a ‘Wow day - ÅF Golden League

Berlin, Germany – The global media spotlight fell on Ariane Friedrich here this afternoon as she completed a long session of television and radio interviews in the bowels of the Olympic Stadium only to find, several floors up, a packed press room of more than 50 German and international journalists seeking her response to an extraordinary day.

Having broken Heike Henkel’s 18-year-old German women’s High Jump record, and beaten Croatian World champion Blanka Vlasic, Friedrich said that she was proud to follow in Henkel’s footsteps, that she hoped her victory in the DKB- ISTAF opening round of the ÅF Golden League would be a boost for German athletics and for the World Championships in Berlin in August, and that she was not disappointed to only narrowly have missed equalling the World record.

Asked to describe the competition, in which she passed at several heights while Vlasic continued to jump, Friedrich said: “It is really difficult to describe. I would say it was ‘wow’. Gunter (Eisinger, her coach) and I played a mean game today. We started at 1.93m then went to 2.00m. My philosophy is that the more heights you jump the more mistakes you can commit so I always try to go as high as possible as fast as possible. Right now I really feel the self-confidence and I feel that, if I do fewer jumps, I will not give all my power straight away.

“The Golden League is not for nothing, it is about $1m – not for me but for others. What I really wanted to do was make a statement for Berlin in two months time and also a statement for German athletics.”

Clarifying her comment about the Golden League being not for her but for others, Friedrich said that the jackpot was not in her sights as she intended to compete in the Universiade (World University Games) in Belgrade, which coincide with the Golden League, in Oslo.

On new national record - 'Every kid knows Heike Henkel, not every kid knows Ariane Friedrich'

Had Friedrich sensed that she might perform so brilliantly today? “I had a very good Easter training phase and the indoor season went very well, so we knew that good results would be possible,” she said. “But there can always be a difference between what you know is possible and what can happen in the end.

“I was really happy to jump a German record. I had never been thinking about jumping it. Heike Henkel held the record for such a long time and she is a real idol in Germany. Every kid knows Heike Henkel, not every kid knows Ariane Friedrich, so I am l really proud of being a little bit her successor. It will be difficult to be a full successor but that is something I will try to do.

“Also, I want to try to make High Jump interesting again, to interest our kids, and make them interested not only in the High Jump but also athletics. I also want to raise the interest and enthusiasm for the World Championships.”

2.06, a height to be 'appreciated'

With the competition won, Friedrich had a near miss at equalling the 2.09m World record held by Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova since 1987. Having cleared the bar with her torso, she brushed it off with her leg. But this was a day for celebration, not frustration, the German insisted.

“It is not about wanting more and more,” Friedrich said. “I did not make the World record today but I jumped 2.06, I made a new German record and I think it is a height that should be appreciated. I’m not going to talk about more, about the World record. I am very proud about the German record. I don’t need to get even more right away.”

Asked whether she thought that she had the advantage now over Vlasic for the World Championships, Friedrich replied: “We will see. Not all eyes should be on Blanka. Each jumper has the potential to jump high. We had some good competition today. I had a great day but I’m sure there are going to be worse days.

“The goal for the World Championships is the final, then a medal. Which medal it is going to be we will have to see then. It is just really a lot of fun to compete with her. She is getting the best out of me and that is why it is fun and I enjoy it.”

David Powell for the IAAF

Robert Harting and Ariane Friedrich to compete in ISTAF/Berlin, by Alfons Juck, Note by Larry Eder

Robert Harting, WC Berlin 2009, photo by PhotoRun.net.

Take a moment, gentle readers, and look at the picture. Deep breath, look at the crowd in the background and every photographer in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, trying to get a picture of Germany's hero, Robert Harting, who put it all together, kicking butt on the entire discus field! One of my favorite parts of Berlin WC 2009 were the performances of Germany's field eventers, in front of their home crowd. Each night, we were treated to one great performance
after another!



Ariane Friedrich, WC Berlin 2009, August 2009, photo by PhotoRun.net.

Ariane Friedrich, the premier German women high jumper, was in the battle of
her life in Berlin, taking a bronze medal. Friedrich had huge pressure on her after the 2.06m clearance. Her coach told me the day after the competition, that he had figured that she had a good shot for the bronze, with Vlasic in top form. The show was the Vlasic-Friederich show for much of that night!

Two of Germany's most popular athletes, discus gold medalist Robert Harting and
high jump bronze medalist Arian Friedrich, will headline ISTAF Berlin, on August 22, 2010...Harting had the crowd screaming last year in Berlin, when he just dominated the discus field. Ariane Friedrich, who could pass for the lead singer of X, had the crowd roaring during
the Vlasic-Friedrich high jump show in Berlin last August!

Ariane Friedrich: 8 Things To Know About The London Olympics High Jump Hopeful

With the 2012 London Olympics just two months away, one athlete has already stirred some controversy before the games have even begun.

Friedrich represented Germany at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. (Photo: Facebook)

Ariane Friedrich, a German high jumper expected to contend for a medal, recently posted the name, email address and city of a Facebook stalker who had been sending her explicit messages and pictures, touching off an intense national debate on privacy. Thousands of people have posted comments on her Facebook page, both praising her move against sexual harassment and criticizing her for "vigilante justice."

"I've been offended in the past, sexually harassed and I've had a stalker before," wrote Friedrich on Saturday in a recent Facebook post that included the name and email address of the man who she says sent her explicit material. "It's time to act, it's time to defend myself. And that's what I'm doing."

Germany has very strict privacy laws that protect an individual's right to determine whether their name and address can be published, which can blow Friedrich's situation up even more. According to the New York Times, newspapers in Germany, for example, don't publish the names of offenders, in an effort to prevent them from being marked after their release from prison.

As for the Internet, the end may not justify the mean.

"Something like this is new," said Helmut K. Rüster of Weisser Ring, an organization that promotes victims' rights, to the Times. "We have not had an incident in this form before in Germany."

Friedrich also filed a legal complaint against the accused man. Her coach, Günter Eisinger, also said to the Times that Friedrich was not going to make any further comments on her posting, both he and she being cautioned by prosecutors and police not to make any statements.

Friedrich is currently training for the Olympics.

Here are seven quick facts to know about the gold medal hopeful:

• Friedrich was born on Jan. 10, 1984 in in Nordhausen, Thüringen, Germany
• The 28-year-old is the German record holder in the outdoor high jump with a best of 2.06m
• She won gold at the 2003 European Junior Championships
• She won gold at both the 2009 and 2010 European Indoor Championships
• She won bronze at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin
• A ruptured Achilles tendon forced her to miss the entire 2011 season
• She's associated with the German sports club LG Eintracht Frankfurt
• She's a police officer by training back in Germany