Reidel targets legendary M40 record: Oerter’s 227-11
In 1980, near the dawn of masters track, Olympic legend Al Oerter threw the discus a still-incredible 69.46 meters (227-11) at age 43 (which also is Al’s all-time PR!). Nobody’s come close since. But another Olympic champion is targeting that masters milestone: Germany’s Lars Riedel. Today, in a report by Phil Minshull, we learn that Lars has “put back all thoughts of retirement and the five-time world champion, as well as the 1998 European champion, has set his sights on getting a medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.” Moreover: “He turns 40 on 28 June next year and has a whole host of targets in his sights, including the world veterans record of 69.46m held by another legend of the event, the American four-time Olympic champion Al Oerter.”
The complete report:
12 October 2006
German discus legend Lars Riedel has put back all thoughts of retirement and the five-time world champion, as well as the 1998 European champion, has set his sights on getting a medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
âI will change two to three things in my preparations for the season and then will concentrate completely on the World Championships,â said Riedel.
âIâm not even thinking about retirement. Throwing the discus is still fun for me and as long as that is still the case, and my body holds up, then I have no intention of stopping.”
âI take good care of myself and have plenty of therapy and rehabilitation so I have managed to prevent getting injured too often, which is a danger at this age,â added the 39 year-old thrower from Chemnitz, who is ranked sixth on the eventâs all-time list.
Riedel threw 69.38m this summer, his best since 2003 and a mark which placed him fifth in the world this year, but he had a below-par European Athletics Championships and could only finish eighth in Gothenburg.
He turns 40 on 28 June next year and has a whole host of targets in his sights, including the world veteranâs record of 69.46m held by another legend of the event, the American four-time Olympic champion Al Oerter.
If he does finish in the top three in Osaka, Riedel will become the oldest man to get on the podium in an individual event at the World Championships.
One Response
Performances by Oerter, Reidel, Powell, and Bruch?¢Ç¨Äù all of whom threw far in their late 30s and early 40s?¢Ç¨Äù show that elite performances are possible for many years past the so called peak years. Injury and motivation are the limiting factors. We need to tap into this. When middle aged people realize that they can achieve remarkable levels of fitness, they will flock to the sport. The 75 year old woman who ran the equivalent of a 7-minute mile is incredible. People age, but we are capable of much more than we think
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