One of the standouts of the 2010 track and field season was Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen, the reigning Olympic and world champion in the javelin. The 29-year-old will begin defense of his Diamond League title in the event on Friday in Doha. We caught up with Thorkildsen recently to get his thoughts on the Diamond League and the upcoming season.

How did you approach last season, given that it wasn't a summer with a major championship on the back end?

I approach every year the same. We have Europeans in the years that the U.S. doesn't have any championships so for me the Europeans is a big deal. I basically prepare each year with the same intensity and try to make the most out of every season because you never know what's going to happen in sports, or how many years you're going to get out of it. My plan, whether it's an Olympic year, a World Championships year, or a Europeans year, is to prepare to perform at the highest level.

You have won the previous four editions of the javelin competition in Doha and have had a throw of over 90-meters there. Can you speak to the attraction of the meeting in Doha for you?

Doha is a great starting meet because when you go there, you know it's going to be 30-something degrees (Celsius). The risk of injury that early is minimized. Once in a while you can catch a really great wind, if you look back to my 2006 meet when I had that 90-meter throw. It's a pretty good size stadium so if we get a good wind and some pretty good conditions, we can get in some really good throws.

With defending your title at the World Championships as an obvious focus, how are you able to manage the weekly demands of the invitational circuit with the need to train and peak for Daegu?

It just means that you need to focus on some meets more than others. Usually, it has worked out pretty well in the past where most of the lesser meets have fallen into the right place so I can basically train through them and get ready for the championships. Usually there is a good break between the last competition and the championships so it's not a big problem for me.

What role does the Diamond League play in your preparation for the World Championships and other major events?

I think the Diamond League is great because you need those high-quality events going into the Worlds or the Olympics. I just enjoy going out almost every week and knowing that you will be throwing against the best guys in the world. It's a great test of your own level and chance to see what other people's levels are. It gives us a great frame for getting ready for the major championships.

You have not improved upon your personal best since 2006. How important is it for you to continue to improve statistically and has it been frustrating having not done that?

Every year I strive to throw further than the previous year. For most of these years I have been ready for better distances but with those distances everything has to match up. You have good conditions and you have to be in great shape. When it happens it happens. You need to be prepared and I feel like I have been prepared. As an example, in '08 my Olympic record in Beijing would probably be a lot further if I had that same throw somewhere else. It's all be chance sometimes, especially when the distances are that great.

How would you compare your shape right now to previous years, and why have you been training in San Diego instead of other places in Europe like Portugal or Tenerife?

The reason I am in San Diego is because they have great facilities and the weather is the same pretty much all year round, which isn't something that you can say about Southern Europe. I bought a house here in December and it's basically a good place to hang out and train. I have been here most of the time since the end of December, which means that I've gotten a lot more throwing done. It looks like my consistency is up. I've done a lot more throwing off the runway than I have in previous years. You never know, but hopefully that will lead to some greater results.

You have gold medals at the Olympics and at Worlds. The one honor that has sort of eluded you is the world record. How important for you is that mark, is it achievable?

I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to throw a world record. A lot of things have to work out the right way, and that's some of the fun about this sport. One year you can catch everything and everything goes your way. I don't know how far my body is able to throw. I don't stress too much about the world record because right now I'm quite far behind it. But for me, if I could get close to 93.09m, which is the second-best mark ever, that would be a more natural goal for me. I think that is within my limits right now. The world record for the javelin is one of the most superior world records so if I never get that one, I won't cry about it.

A lot of talk has already begun about the London Olympics and the preparations for the Games. In your mind, is 2012 still a long way off or is it always in your thoughts as you're preparing for the season?

I don't really think that far ahead. I think I'm a lot more about my first meet in Doha than I am about the Olympics one year out. I don't even think too much about Daegu. I'm more focused on the competitions closer to where I am at right now.

There are a lot of young javelin throwers coming up. Can you sort of run through who you think your main rivals will be this year?

Matthias De Zordo (of Germany) and Petr Frydrych (of Czech Republic) will be interesting to watch this year. They both had inconsistency in their throwing last year, which is pretty normal for guys their age. Of course I expect (Tero) Pitkamaki and all of the other guys to be on that same level too.

source: universalsports.com