Lars Riedel of Germany qualifies for the final of the Discus Throw (© Getty Images)
At the age of 43, discus throwing legend Al Oerter (USA) made a comeback to finish fourth in the 1980 US Olympic trials, so Lars Riedel still has time on his side at the age of 39 to make an impression. Sure enough, when Osaka comes round next summer, by which time he will have nudged past the 40-mark, Riedel has every intention of stepping into the circle to add to his five World Championship golds and one bronze pocketed between 1991 and 2003.
“I’ll change one or two things in pre-season training, and then I’ll concentrate on the IAAF World Championships,” Riedel told a local paper recently. “A medal is my goal!”
Throughout the nineties, Riedel built a reputation for consistency as solid as Oerter’s, the peak of his domination coming in the Atlanta Olympics when the 1.99m giant from Chemnitz collected gold. “As a sportsman you always dream of winning an Olympic title. That’s why my Olympic victory is the biggest achievement of my career. But defending a World title is also a big challenge.”
No retirement plans
It was in Atlanta that the man who was to overtake Riedel, Virgilius Alekna (LTU) was waiting in the wings down in fifth. By the time Sydney came around Alekna was gearing up for dominance by shading Riedel for gold. But the German was not to be shoved aside that easily and one year later took his fifth World title in Edmonton.
Athens, though, confirmed the new order with Alekna successfully clinching gold for a second successive time and Riedel fully expected to retire. But still he marches on! “Quite simply, I enjoy it,” he explained. “As long as that’s the case and my body holds up, I shall continue.”
2006 confirmed Riedel is right to carry on. A season’s best of 69.38m in Wiesbaden in May put him in the frame for a possible medal at the European Championships in Gothenburg, an event he won in 1998. But it was not to be, with eighth place and a lowly mark for Riedel of 64.11m. “Before the Europeans I had trouble with my back. That had a negative effect. Naturally I would have liked to have taken a medal, but that’s life,” he said.
Nonetheless, he was anything but downhearted by the season. “It was surprisingly positive. I was satisfied with my distances.” As the fifth longest thrower in the world this year, Riedel is far from being a spent force and given his popularity in Germany where the throws are viewed more positively than in most countries, there is still time for him to make his mark.
Roar of approval
Raising the profile of the Discus Throw has long been one of Riedel’s aims and though he admits it will never reach the status of the blue riband track events, he has contributed enormously to the public’s awareness of this ancient discipline. Anyone who was present in the Gottlieb-Daimler stadium during the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, Stuttgart and heard the hair-raising roar of the crowd whenever Riedel approached the circle will testify to what he has achieved in both success and popularity.
But for one of the most successful athletes of all time, challenges remain and the quest for improvement goes on. After 13 years with the same club, he has seen fit to make a change from Chemnitz to Saulheim, but his coach remains the same, Carl-Heinz Steinmetz. “The goal is already fixed,” says Riedel. “I want to experience my ninth World Championships!”
Michael Butcher for the IAAF
