European Athletics (EAA) – News – Harting on course to break Jurgen Schult’s record

It was some year for Robert Harting, a man never short of showing his emotion.

But now the 28-year-old German is planning ahead to next summer when little should stop him securing a record that could take a long time to be broken.

Harting is the Olympic and European discus champion after an outstanding summer that included a celebration which saw him leap over the sprint hurdles in the stadium at London 2012.

But Harting is already looking ahead to May when he is plotting to overtake a mark held by one of his greatest fellow Germans.

During the 1980s, Jurgen Schult dominated the men's discus. His world record distance of 74.08m in Neubrandenburg in 1986 remains but it might be only a matter of months before his other notable mark is no longer his.

Schult, who won Olympic gold in Seoul in 1988 and the European Athletics Championship title two years later in Split, had the distinction of remaining unbeaten for a period of 992 days during his career, the longest by a discus thrower according to leading statisticians.

In 175 days times Harting, 28, will go past that record in what will be an important year for him as he looks to win the world title for a third successive time.

It is unlikely he will be beaten before May because the summer season will only just be starting.

Harting won gold in Helsinki with a throw of 68.30m and 68.27m brought him the Olympic title in London.

It was at the Olympics where his victory lap became one of those memorable moments of the track and field programme.

First he ripped off his singlet and flexed his muscles in a manner resembling the cartoon and television character The Incredible Hulk.

When he reached the last part of the lap, the barriers had already been put up for the women's 100m hurdles.

But that was not going to stop him.

Taking to the outside lane, he charged down the track clearing the barriers to the delight of the crowd.

As Harting recalled this week to the English magazine Athletics Weekly: "I hurdled them all to prove that they were no barrier to me."

Next stop Schult's record…and the clock is ticking.

European Athletics (EAA) – News