Ariane Friedrich of Germany will once again be seen in action at the special High Jump meeting in Dessau on Saturday. (Picture Alliance)

Germany's reigning European indoor champion Ariane Friedrich will return to competition at the special High Jump meeting in Dessau on Saturday with the aim of again jumping higher than two metres and reinforcing her medal credentials for next month's World Indoor Championships.

Friedrich, who also won a High Jump bronze medal on home soil at last summer's World Championships, has been recovering from her recent minor back problems which saw her having to cancel a much-anticipated encounter with the Croatian world champion Blanka Vlašić in Arnstadt, Germany, earlier this month.

"The back problems started around Christmas time and we are still resolving  them. But I'm not a person who gives up easily and the jumps I had in Karlsruhe (on January 31, when she jumped 2.00m) were very high and very light," said Friedrich recently.

Along with Vlašić and Russia's Svetlana Skholina, she is one of only three women in the world this winter who has cleared 2.00m or higher.

"I don't know how things will go in Doha but I'm looking forward to being involved when the medals are decided. It will be very interesting and there could be some very good jumping," she reflected.

"It'll be curious that the World Indoor Championship will be held this year for the first time in a place where the temperature will probably be warmer outside than in the hall!"

Naturally, Friedrich is also one of her country's leading hopes for a medal at this summer's European Athletics Championships in Barcelona and she will be looking to become Germany's first female jumper since unification to win a gold at the Championships.

East Germany's Rosemarie Witschas (later Ackermann, after she got married) won in 1974, and the West German pair of Ulrike Meyfarth and Heike Henkel were the champions in 1982 and 1990 but no German woman has stood on top of the podium in the last four editions of the European Athletics Championships.

"I don't know about winning. There are many dangerous rivals as well as Blanka. In fact, they are all dangerous. Just watch out for Spain's Ruth Beitia, who has already jumped 1.97m and 1.98m this year. I can testify what competing at a big championship in front of your home crowd does for your motivation," added Friedrich.

Before she gets to Barcelona, Friedrich has some domestic duties to attend to.

"After Doha, my partner and I will begin renovating a small house.  I think I'll publish on my own web site (www.arianefriedrich.com), what I'm doing and my experiences, whether it's tearing down walls or putting up wallpaper.

"I'm looking forward to it because, at the moment, I do not live in the best area in Kelsterbach. I look forward to having my own garden and so that my cats can, for the first time, see birds and smell nature.

"I'm actually a woman of nature; I grew up in the village. There was a time when I was really glad that I got away from the village. But now I would rather like to be back to the countryside. It's amazing how you develop as a person going through the different stages of life," added Friedrich, who now has time to concentrate on these matters after also recently passing her exams to become a fully qualified police inspector.