German athlete Ariane Friedrich outs ‘stalker’ on Facebook

LONDON, UK – Top German high-jumper Ariane Friedrich has posted the name and email address of an alleged stalker on her Facebook page, citing self-defence against a man she says sent her a photo of his genitals.

“I’ve been offended in the past, sexually harassed and I’ve had a stalker before,” she wrote, after providing the man’s details, according to the Agence France Presse.

“It’s time to act, it’s time to defend myself. And that’s what I’m doing. No more and no less. I’m not willing to be a victim again. I’m simply tired and there simply comes a time when enough is enough.”

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Friedrich, 28, who also works as a police officer and hopes to participate in the 2012 London Olympic Games this summer, has filed a criminal complaint against the man for pestering her and making sexually explicit overtures, according to the BBC.

Her manager, Guenter Eisinger, has said the case is now a matter for Germany prosecutors.

Friedrich’s actions have sparked a debate in a country where the right to privacy is vigorously upheld but the legislation protecting that right was drafted during and for another, pre-Internet era, according to The New York Times.

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More than 10,000 people have posted comments on her Facebook page, split between those who applauded her move as a brave step towards combatting sexual harassment and those who criticized her for “vigilante justice.”

Friedrich holds the German record for the high-jump, and took a bronze medal at the 2009 world athletics championships and gold at the European Indoor championships in 2009.

However, an injury sustained in December 2010 ruled her out for the whole 2011 season. 

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