Susanne Rohlfing of the German newspaper Kölner Stadtanzeiger interviewed Jeff Hartwig before his latest record jump, and he disclosed that he won’t vault indoors in the United States this season. Therefore, he won’t be on the U.S. team for the IAAF world indoor championships in Spain in early March. Instead he’ll focus on preparations for the Eugene Olympic Trials and ultimately Beijing. Typically, the German interview dwells on drugs.

Here’s an English translation of a German translation of an interview in English.
My apologies to all speakers of both languages:

Jeff Hartwig (40): “This is a new kind of fun”
Interview with the “Kölner Stadtanzeiger”
US-pole jumper Jeff Hartwig (1967), in Cottbus this week in a new pole vault world record for his age group. Moreover, and that in the United States no longer track athlete can dope with impunity, he now speaks in an interview with the Cologne Stadt Anzeiger. Read the interview by Jeff Hartwig on his current world record, his Olympic plans in the event Marion Jones in the text:
COLOGNE-TOWN SCOREBOARD: Mr. Hartwig, you have this week with a 5.65 metre world record for the age group over 40 years. What this means to you title?
JEFF HARTWIG: This is a new kind of fun for me. Because I am a unique, no pole jumper has been with 40 years at this level competitions disputed. For me, this world record is not, of course, for others what he was before me, for the pole vault only a hobby. But it gives me pleasure that I now first in each race the chance, a world record to break.
They have raised: Normally you jump in your age is not on this level. What’s your secret?
Hartwig: The biggest problem that older athletes have injuries. I am very glad that I have no major steps back had to make. Even if I only baby steps in progress – it is a step in the right direction.
What are your goals for this season? The indoor World Championships in Valencia, Olympics in Beijing?
Hartwig: I will be the entire indoor season in Europe and not in the USA.
Why?
Hartwig: I want my focus to the summer. And we have in the United States in the hall are not many high-profile competitions. Therefore, I will, but even at the US indoor championships-is not one of them and can not therefore qualify for Valencia. The Olympic Games are for me this year simply much more important.
In the United States, it is in pole vault yes similarly difficult to qualify, as in Germany.
Hartwig: I would say that it is even harder. We have spent the last two Olympic champions and the last two Olympic Second, there exists in the United States ten athletes with a best performance of 5.80 meters and above. But, of course, Germany and the United States are the two countries where it is the hardest, as a pole jumper ever to come into the team.
They have so far only 2000 in Sydney at the Olympic Games. If you Peking therefore particularly important?
HARTWIG: Sure. Olympics is the ultimate goal for every athlete. Last week I was in a competition. Timm Mack, Olympic champion, Toby Stevenson, Olympia Second and Brad Walker, world champion – they were all there. Afterwards, at the press conference but would not even someone with Brad Walker. Only Olympic medals interested.
Come to Europe so happy because it here as a legend of the Stabhochsprungs celebrated?
HARTWIG: What I like most about in Europe that the fans more about the sport know. If I in the USA tell someone that I am six feet high jump bin, it does not understand what that means. When I say that I think American record, they say: Ah, then you must be very good. Here, I must just tell the six meters, and everyone knows it. The problem in the United States is that we have so many talented athletes, it is not enough just to be world champion. People want athletes like Tyson Gay, of the 100 and 200 meter wins. Only if you have four or five times world champion has become art, they make you really famous.
So is doped to achieve. And then you have in the United States major doping scandals.
HARTWIG: Sure. But that is how things are. And you must not forget – even if we have these scandals – the tests in athletics in the United States are harder than anywhere else in the world. No athlete can dodge the test, if you are positive, you are positive. If you look at the number of positive tests in proportion to the number of athletes viewing, are really very few. I think we are one of the world’s cleanest sports. At the end nobody comes to us with doping. Our biggest names – Justin Gatlin, Marion Jones – were positively tested and punished. In baseball the state knows exactly what doped athletes have, but there are no penalties, they must all still play.
Marion Jones was also very long, despite doping at the competitions.
HARTWIG: True, but in the end, she was caught. I see Marion run since she was 16 years old. It was a terrific talent. I do not understand why they did what they did. But the most important thing is that they are caught.
What do you think now that they must go to prison?
Hartwig: I hope that all the other athletes a lesson. Not only that their competitions to be honest kind of dispute, but also that they are not even allowed to lie when they have legal problems. Marion is not put in prison because of doping, but because they did not tell the truth.
Because of this prominent doping cases, and because of the findings of a doping as Balco laboratory, where resources have been developed for years, with doping tests could not be recognized, here in Europe the conviction enforced: US-athletes dope it all anyway.
HARTWIG: Mhmm. I do not know what else I should say, when we regularly tested. And I invite everyone to join me at any time to test. I can of course only for myself testify that I am clean. For me, it’s not an option to dope in order to win a medal. I can accept it when I am not well enough.
But do you believe that many athletes in the USA think so?
Hartwig: Yes, sure. Most think so. We were just as shocked as you, as we have heard that Marion problems. Or the others who were caught. I believe that most of the way, which they should go.
The interview was conducted by Susanne Rohlfing (from “Kölner Stadtanzeiger”, 01.02.08)