Like mother like son as Ecker emulates mother’s win

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.european-athletics.org/index ... 4&Itemid=2

Like mother like son as Ecker emulates mother’s win 36 years ago
21 March 2007
Heide Ecker-Rosendahl admitted she wept tears of joy after her son, Danny, emulated her achievement of becoming a European Indoor champion.



Ecker ended years of injury frustration by winning his first major title in Birmingham earlier this month with a 5.71m clearance to win pole vault gold some 36 years after his mum triumphed in the long jump in Sofia.

For Heide, who watched the action unfold from her home with her husband and Danny's father John, it was a special moment.

"It was quite emotionally and I had a few tears," said the gregarious Rosendahl. "He deserved to win one of the big titles. He was close to giving up the sport because of all the injuries. It is a different kind of nerves watching than it was as an athlete. For 15 years I coached girls aged 9-15 and that was very nerve-wracking but watching my son, it is an awful kind of nerves."

Although, she admitted her husband, a former three-time American college basketball champion, was even more apprehensive than she was.

Their nerves were not aided by a technical glitch with the official scoring during the competition which created confusion not only in the Ecker-Rosendahl's household but also among spectators in the stadium.

Initially it was reported Ecker had made a successful clearance of 5.51m and his next attempt was at 5.81m - a staggering rise of 30cms.

"I thought that's not like Danny to go up to 5.81m in such an important competition," she added. "But then we saw he was ranked No.1 after clearing 5.71m and knew he was leading."

The big surprise, however, was no athlete managed to go any higher and the relatively modest height of 5.71m was enough to secure the gold medal.

Ecker-Rosendahl always believed her son, aged 29, had the ability to win a major championship gold medal. He joined the rare band of six-metres jumpers in 2001 but subsequently has been plagued by injuries but hinted at a return to form after a solid indoor campaign and he successfully made the German team for Birmingham. But she believes it was a fresh psychological approach which has reaped rewards.

"To win a competition it is more than the technical things it is sometimes the mental things," said Ecker-Rosendahl. "I talked to Danny after Birmingham and so often he thought it was okay to clear the lower heights at the second or third time. But this time he really tried to concentrate on clearing the lower heights at the first time."



Ecker-Rosendahl, 60, the 1972 Olympic long jump and 4x100m gold medallist, also admitted not passing on athletics advice to her son saying modestly that he has far more experience.

But one thing which did not come as a shock was Ecker chose to pursue pole vault.

"He always liked the big risk sports like snowboarding or skateboarding and I can't tell you how many times I went to hospital with him after he had an accident," she added. "He did many different athletics events but as the pole vault is one of the most interesting events I suppose it was no great surprise."

Married to Katrin in September and with a three-month-old daughter, Marie, Ecker appears to be more settled both on and off the track but does Ecker-Rosendahl believe marriage and becoming a father have contributed to his success at the European Indoor Championships?

"I don't know but since his first major win was in Birmingham maybe he should have got married many years ago," she joked. "But I knew he always had the capacity to win. The hard thing in Germany is to even make the pole vault team, but hopefully he will go to Osaka and the World Championships. He will then hope to go to Beijing and finish his career at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin."

[KLocke]

Quite a pole vault connection- Other children of 1972 Munich Olympians are Steven Hooker (mother-long jump) and Chelsea Johnson



[quote="rainbowgirl28"]http://www.european-athletics.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4964&Itemid=2

Like mother like son as Ecker emulates mother’s win 36 years ago


Ecker-Rosendahl, 60, the 1972 Olympic long jump and 4x100m gold medallist, also admitted not passing on athletics advice to her son saying modestly that he has far more experience.

But one thing which did not come as a shock was Ecker chose to pursue pole vault.