BIRMINGHAM, GBR - After downplaying his own expectations, Stefan Holm went on to capture one of the most fiercely fought high jump duels ever at the European Indoor Championships two years ago in Madrid. In the Spanish capital, the Swede leaped a career best 2.40 to wrestle the title from Russian Yaroslav Rybakov, who equalled his personal best of 2.38. Nobody has jumped higher since either indoors or outdoors, and the expectations are high that another similar scenario may play out on Sunday afternoon.

Such a scenario is not just wishful thinking. The 30-year-old Holm arrives in Birmingham on the heels of a 2.38 leap to win the Swedish title, where he was pushed by compatriot Linus Thornblad, who cleared the same height to join the event's all-time top-10. A finer prelude to this weekend could not have planned.

"It was a great competition," Holm, the reigning Olympic champion said. "I don't think either one of us really thought about the heights. We were just jumping, and concentrating on our jumps. I don't think that it was until 2.40 that we started thinking about the height. We thought, 'My God, it's 2.40 at the Swedish championships and two guys are jumping.'"

2.40 proved too high for the pair, but certainly not of reach, according to Holm.

"I think I was a bit burned out jumping 2.38 on my first attempt, but I felt that it was there. But you need more or less a perfect jump to clear a height like 2.40."

Earlier this winter, Ivan Ukhov raised the Russian record to 2.39, while two others in the field this weekend, Andrey Tereshin, and Tomas Janku, have bettered 2.34, setting up a battle for what is this season's equivalent of a true world title. Holm wouldn't make any predictions for Sunday's contest, beyond acknowledging that it will be an extremely difficult chore.

"It's very hard to say, somewhere around 2.35 or higher, but you never know. Look at Helsinki. It took 2.32 to win the world outdoors."

Whatever it will take, Holm believes that he's much better prepared than he was two years ago.

"I was very unsure about my form in Madrid," he recalled. "I had a slight injury a couple of weeks before, and I was very much up and down in training. But that day in Madrid everything worked out. I feel much more secure in my technique and in my form and everything today. But when it comes to jumping you never know."

"The main goal is to win," he said. "But if it takes 2.40 to win the competition, I would be happy about it. But first of all I will just go in there and focus on my own performance."

Despite the emergence of a new crop of young talent --Holm specifically mentioned Ukhov and Russia's European outdoor champion Andrey Silnov-- Holm firmly believes that his days among the world's elite jumpers are hardly numbered.

"Hopefully I can jump a couple of more 2.40s in my career," Holm said, admitting that he's still eyeing the Swedish records of 2.41 indoors and 2.42 outdoors set by former World record holder Patrik Sjoberg. "That's one of the main goals in my career, so hopefully I can increase a couple more centimeters."

Holm, an astute student of his event, noted that Javier Sotomayor's 2.43 World record will celebrate its 18th anniversary on Sunday, one he doesn't necessarily consider as out of reach.

"It's a great World record. It takes a perfect jump on a perfect day," he said, but added, "I don't think it's impossible."

(c) 2007 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved