‘Shaggy’ looks at least for a silver medal in Beijing 24. March 08

Silver in Osaka, second in last weekend’s European Throwing Cup in Split, Germany’s Robert Harting is starting to make it a habit. Before Osaka, not too many outside his own support group of two – girlfriend and coach – would have given him much of a chance of a podium place in the men’s Discus Throw. But he came away with silver and put himself on the wish-list for a medal hope in Beijing in the summer.

In both Japan and Croatia he was well beaten by the new World champion, Gerd Kanter of Estonia, so any hope of gold in the Chinese capital must be only tentative. But at 23, Harting is very much a hope for the future in German athletics and given Germany’s dominance in the throws, the clichéd mantra of ‘anything is possible’ is more than just an empty threat.

In Osaka, Germany led the throws table over the rest of the world with double the number of medals, six, than their nearest rivals, the USA. So Harting comes from a winning tradition that expects its athletes to reach the heights and Split last weekend was an impressive first step on fulfilling those hopes.

His mark in Split, 64.34m, may not sound much in the grand scheme of things, but it was Harting’s best ever start to the season in a competition that is not his favourite: “I don’t normally do so well in the European Cup Winter Throwing but I’m really pleased with last weekend. The conditions were difficult with a headwind from the left and strong rivals. The only pity was that I missed the Olympic Games qualifying by 16cm.”

The 2.01m-tall sport soldier now heads to Albufeira for the first of two training camps, both lasting two weeks, where he will seek to fine tune his 125kg frame for the Olympic summer. His first competition comes on the 17 May in Versmold. Never heard of it? That’s because it’s the first time for this new event organised by Harting himself together with his father.

His ambition for Beijing is to at least “not do worse than in the World championships”. So Shaggy (his nickname) is at least looking at silver and in terms of distance he has set himself a mark for the season of 67.50m, while his PB currently stands at 66.93m.

That may not trouble Kanter whose own aim is to better Jurgen Schult’s World record of 74.08m and both have to reckon with a comeback from double World and Olympic champion, Lithuanian Virgilius Alekna, who was injured in Osaka.

In Japan, Harting brought something different to the event as he came out of the cage for the last time. As well as the usual roar of delight, he shred his vest as though it were made of paper and stuffed his number in his mouth, one of the more unusual celebrations in world sport.

If that suggests an unconventional persona, his website confirms it - http://www.derharting.de/ . Splashed with Hollywood-style Stallone bondage poses, it is a professional job projecting extensive summaries of his career to date. Very much of its time, the website suggests a champ in waiting. It is easy to get carried away with the gloss and the hype, but it should be remembered that compatriot Lars Riedel won five World championships and 1996 Olympic gold.

But there are a number of intriguing parallels in their backgrounds. Both were born in the East, Harting in Cottbus, Riedel in Zwickau. Both went through the sporting wilderness, Riedel at the collapse of the GDR, while Harting plumbed the depths in 2002 and wondered whether there was anything for him in sport.

What Harting has on his side is youth. Riedel was 24 before he won the first of his World titles and 29 when he clinched Olympic gold in Atlanta. Harting will still be 23 in Beijing. There is plenty of time for the Berlin resident to claim his birthright.

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