Ecker thinks he can still jump 6.00 meters

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=49581.html

Ecker – “It is still possible for me to jump six metres”

Danny Ecker after his German Championship win (Bongarts / Getty)
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Turin, Italy - Danny Ecker will be the defending champion in the Pole Vault at the European Indoor Championships in Turin this weekend.

The 31-year-old German had recently won the national title with a season’s best of 5.80m. His personal best stands at 6.00m from 2001. Ecker, who won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Osaka 2007, has been Germany’s most consistent Pole Vaulter in recent years. He gave iaaf.org the following interview:

Coming to Turin as the defending champion, what is your goal?

“My goal definately is to win a medal, otherwise it would make no sense for me to travel to Turin. I had thought of skipping these championships to save some strength for the summer. But the goal I set for this season was to jump 5.90 metres. I have not yet achieved this. Additionally I am sure that if you jump 5.90 in Turin you will be the European Champion.”

How well did you get used to your new carbon poles?

“There is some routine still missing with the new poles, since I have not had as many competitions as originally planned. This was due to a shoulder problem. Actually I had thought about switching back to the old ones. And on the days before the German Championships I already had the old ones in my hand. But then I decided to continue with the new carbon poles, because I really wanted to use the winter season to experiment. If I will finally get the right timing I will be able to jump very high with the new poles.”

What do you think the German team is capable of doing in Turin?

“I believe that we will have a number of athletes in with a chance. Ariane Friedrich will definitely be ready for a great duel with Blanka Vlasic. Maybe there is some frustration left after she had problems in the Olympic final and could not reach her goal there.”

“Long Jumper Sebastian Bayer has not had so many competitions this winter. But if he is able to produce a good jump he might even take the gold medal. It will be a difficult task for Raúl Spank, but he has shown in Beijing that he is a great competitor. Strong opposition seems to encourage him, which is a good sign.”

“Then there is Pole Vaulter Silke Spiegelburg, who shares the same coach, Leszek Klima, with me. And may be with Stefan Schwab we might get a sprinter into the 60 m final, which would be quite a success. I think German athletics has some potential, also looking ahead towards the summer.”

In the summer there will be the World Championships in Berlin. Do these championships have the same significance for you as Olympic Games, because they will be staged in front of a home crowd?

“For sure the Olympic Games are an experience, which you remember for your life time. And everyone knows about the Olympics. But should I take part and be able to be successful then I believe that these coming World Championships will be of the same exceptional significance for me. I find it already thrilling to compete in front of a home crowd at the DKB ISTAF in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. But in a World Championship the atmosphere will be even better. Thinking of this I already get goose bumps. It will probably not be easy to keep cool in that sort of atmosphere. But in this case my age and my experience with three Olympics should help me.”

There is a lot of talk about a change of generations in the German Pole Vault with more and more youngsters coming up.

“Well, yes in a way there is a change of generations. You could say that Tim Lobinger and me are something like the Dinos around all these new upcoming athletes. But we are still alive as we have shown at the national championships. But I have to say that I really don’t care about the age of my opponents. As long as I know that I am able to be up there I have fun. Additionally, being 31 now I am not that old as a Pole Vaulter – others like Jeff Hartwig or Sergej Bubka have shown that you can still jump very high well beyond 30.”

How long do you plan to continue?

“For now I first plan to the end of 2010. I am really looking forward to 2010, because it will be a year with less pressure. We had the Olympics and now we will have the Berlin World Championships. Next year there will be European Championships in Barcelona. I would really like to jump there, since I have not been at the continental championships since 1998. Once 2010 is over it is not that far to the London Olympics in 2012.”

“One aspect regarding my future will probably be how well the young German jumpers are doing then. If they should all clear 5.90 metres and I should manage only 5.60 then I would probably finish my career. But in general the pressure from the young jumpers is good and makes you stronger. To get into a German team you always have to jump 5.80.”

Who is the next German clearing six metres?

“I believe that I can still do it with the new poles. But I need to stay healthy to be able to develop the necessary form for that. There are a couple of youngsters who have the potential to do it: Raphael Holzdeppe’s speed in the run-up is good for six metres. He will not jump this this summer, but in the future it is possible for him. My training partner Tobias Scherbarth is another one. His grip on the pole is high enough, he has the required speed in the run-up and he is not afraid of planting big poles. Additionally he is very ambitious, professional and has set up his surroundings well.”

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF

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http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=49581.html


How well did you get used to your new carbon poles?

“There is some routine still missing with the new poles, since I have not had as many competitions as originally planned. This was due to a shoulder problem. Actually I had thought about switching back to the old ones. And on the days before the German Championships I already had the old ones in my hand. But then I decided to continue with the new carbon poles, because I really wanted to use the winter season to experiment. If I will finally get the right timing I will be able to jump very high with the new poles.”


Jörg Wenig for the IAAF

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[chasing6]

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