Aging Riedel has no intention of retiring just yet

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This article was published 11/08/2006 (7087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) – Lars Riedel was the epitome of power, health and fitness after winning the 1996 Olympic discus gold medal.

He was also getting 50 fan letters a day from women.

Now, Riedel has one special lady friend, he’s finding success a little harder to come by and at 39, he’s a little less limber than he used to be.

If Riedel gets a medal in Goteborg, he will be the oldest discus thrower to win a European Championship medal, outdoing Juergen Schult, who took silver in Budapest in 1998 when he was 38.

“After the German Championships last month I did as much rehabilitation as I did training to get ready for this. I am an old man, you know,” Riedel said.

Riedel finished sixth in Thursday’s qualifying, throwing 63.36 metres. Gerd Kanter of Estonia led with a throw of 66.71, and Olympic and world champion Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania threw 64.53.

“I felt tired in the head and also in the legs,” Riedel said.

But if his embattled body is a little creakier than it used to be, Riedel’s experience and self-assurance allow him to deal with pressure better than many of his younger rivals.

“I’m not as stressed as in previous years. I don’t feel any pressure,” said Riedel, competing at his third Europeans. “That could be an advantage for me. I’m very relaxed.”

In Saturday’s final, he knows he’ll have to do better, though.

“The gold medal throw will be at least 66 metres,” Riedel said. “The final will depend on the wind, which direction it comes from. If it rains in the final, the ring will get really wet and the story becomes really interesting for us.”

Riedel can still throw 66.

In May, he reached 69.38 for the first time since 2003. Now he is aiming for 70 metres, something he hasn’t managed in nine years.

The German began his discus career almost 20 years ago, and he has won Olympic gold and silver, one European and five world championship titles, and has been the German champion 11 times.

Riedel won every world championship title from 1991-97. During that time he also won Olympic gold in Atlanta.

In 1999, he settled for bronze at the worlds in Seville, Spain, but came back to reclaim his title in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2001, his last major international title.

While his size is an advantage, it has also made him prone to injury.

Knee problems and a back injury in the early 1990s have hindered him. When he was no longer able to perform knee bends, he and his coach were forced to adjust his entire training program. His girlfriend, a physiotherapist, helps him with daily therapy to maintain his mobility.

“It helps me a lot to avoid getting injured. If I am free of injuries I can see myself throwing until 2009,” he said, referring to the worlds in Berlin.