2009 SU Update: European High Jump Champion Leads German Star Studded Athletics Delegation

Ariane Friedrich in action

ADH, the German National University Sports Federation, will bring a star studded athletics team of Olympians with its delegation to the 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade.

Germany’s hope for a medal in Athletics will be without a doubt on the shoulders of high jumper Ariane Friedrich for whom this will be her 3rd Universiade participation after winning a bronze medal in Izmir (2005) and a silver in Bangkok (2007). In 2008 she won gold at the European Indoor Cup passing the 2 m mark. She ranked 7th in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and recently won the gold medal at the 1st SPAR European Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal with a 2.02-jump. Her best performance was early this June in Berlin in front of a home crowd with a 2.06. Other athletes to watch are hammer thrower Betty Heidler, the 2007 World Champion, who ranked 9th at the Beijing Olympics, 4th in Athens and recently 2nd at the 1st SPAR European Team Championships; as well as high jumper Raul Spank (5th at Beijing Olympics) and sprinter Till Helmke (5th at Beijing Olympics).

Athletes in other disciplines to watch are diver Katja Dieckow (bronze and silver medalist at the 2009 European Championship), some Judo European Championship medalists in junior categories such as Barbara Bandel (bronze U20 2007 EC), Melanie Lierka (bronze U23 2007 EC) and Christopher Benedikt Völk (bronze U20 2007 EC), swimmer Johannes Dietrich (gold at the 2007 EC) and taekwondo athlete Claudia Beaujean (bronze 2006 World Championship).