Germany's Harting is gunning for glory in Barcelona

At 2.01m tall and 130kg, Robert Harting finds it hard to hide even in a big crown but Germany's reigning Discus world champion knows that, certainly since last summer, he's walking around with a target on his back.

After his superb victory on home soil at last summer's World Championships, with the stands packed with his family and friends as he is currently based in Berlin with the German army, the best of Europe's discus throwers will be gunning for him at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona this summer.

"I don't worry about that (his rivals) too much. It is true that many people might expect me to win. But all that really matters is that we (Harting and his coach) achieve our goal, which we will, if everything goes according to plan. The objective is a medal, it does not have to be the gold one," commented Harting, in an interview with www.bcn2010.org.

The European Athletics Championships will be held in the Catalan city between 26 July - 1 August and are the final could be almost a repetition of the World Championships as the top four in Berlin were all European while nine out of the 12 finalists there came from the continent.

Last August, and lying in the silver medal position going into the last round, Harting produced a personal best of 69.43m with the penultimate throw of the competition to relegate Poland's Piotr
Malachowski to second place by 28 centimetres.

Apart from Malachowski, who threw two national records in the Berlin final but found a third beyond him with his last effort, Harting's biggest rivals for the European title are likely to be Estonia's 2008 Olympic champion Gerd Kanter and Lithuania's Virgilijus Alekna, who will defend his European title achieved in Göteborg four years ago.

"So far the world's best discus throwers came from Eastern Europe, but that will change in the future," reflected Harting, perhaps with an eye on the fact that two very good Spaniards could also be in the hunt for medals, Frank Casañas and Mario Pestano.

"Both of them are very good, strong, athletes and competing on home soil means anything is possible. I know that Mario wishes to finally achieve a great result at the height of his career. I really hope that his preparation goes well and it works out for him in Spain, although I will do my best to beat him," joked Harting.

Harting is well known as an outspoken and open character but the one matter he's keeping very quiet about is his training plans for the season ahead.

"Barcelona 2010 is an important goal. I want to prepare well but this year's preparation is top secret! It is different from last season, that's all I am going to tell you," added the 25-year-old German, who looks almost certain to improve on his performance in Göteborg four years ago, when he could only throw 59.87m in the qualifying competition and didn't even make the final.