The personnel upheaval in the Germany eight is faltering. The team is still aiming for a medal at the European Championships in Munich – and in a new boat.
Next bad news for the Germany eight: The parade boat of the German Rowing Association (DRV) has to plan for the European Rowing Championships in Munich without batsman Mattes Schönherr. The inflammation of the ribs in the 22-year-old from Potsdam about ten days ago means that Schönherr cannot be used and makes it necessary to change the crew again for the regatta from August 11th to 14th on the 1972 Olympic course in Oberschleißheim.
“That’s almost the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, it’s a line that runs through, we’ve had a lot of absences and injuries this season.”explains Uwe Bender, the national coach of the Germany eights, to the sports show. “In this case it is even a serious injury where we cannot take the risk of letting Mattes (Schönherr, editor’s note) start at the European Championship. We hope that we can get it under control and he at the World Cup will be back later in the year.”
Personnel problems during the upheaval
Disappointment was written all over Schönherr’s face after it was definitely clear that he would not be able to start at the home European Championships. “The disappointment is great. This is a home EM, a big event, there are many spectators, it would have been the first big regatta for me, so it’s a shame that I can’t be there. Not supporting the team it hurts to be able to.”
The ongoing personnel problems in the rebuilding continue with the heavily changed and younger crew. The experienced Torben Johannesen (Hamburg), who has been in the parade boat of the German Rowing Association since 2017, moves to the batsman position for Schönherr. Tom Tewes from Munich is new to the team.
Home race for Tom Tewes
“Each upheaval is noticeable at the beginning, because every athlete who hasn’t rowed the 2,000 kilometers before is first of all, ‘evil’, a foreign body. He first has to find his way into this gear system, Tom (Tewes, note. d. Red.) does it very well, but you can tell he still needs his kilometers”, says Torben Johannesen to the sports show. The substitute would normally have started in two in Munich.
The fact that Tewes is now allowed to sit in the Germany eight is the high point of his young rowing career for the native of Munich: “Munich is my hometown. I learned rowing there, I’ve been on the regatta course there an awful lot. That’s why I’m particularly happy that my family and friends are here, my club (RuderClub Munich, editor’s note) will be there and support me. It will be a great experience for me.”says the youngest rower at the age of 21 in the eight.
New feeling in the new boat
Just in time for the first highlight of the season, the rowers from the base in Dortmund bought a new boat after extensively testing a test boat for a few months. The so-called X88 model is a boat that has been completely redesigned and replaces the aft shape that has been in use for over 25 years. The hull is 23 cm shorter than before (17.63 m to 17.40 m), the bow and stern are a bit more angular, which means the waterline is longer.
The maximum width and depth in the water are lower than before due to the changed shape. The effect: the boat is more stable in the water and develops a different feeling of acceleration. “There is less up and down in the stern and bow, but the lateral stability is a bit more sensitive. Initially we had problems with the new crack, it’s a different handling, but now we have it under control. We are satisfied with the new model.”reveals national coach Uwe Bender. “We hope that the eight is even faster in its new form.” That’s the rowers in this one “Upheaval Season” to wish.
Great Britain is the top favourite
After almost ten years of dominance on the European stage, it was only enough for 4th place at the European Championships in Italy on Lago di Varese last year.
Behind the boats from Great Britain and Australia with rank 3 at the World Cup final in Lucerne in mid-July, the DRV team starts in Munich as a hunter, but aims for a place on the podium. The big favorites are the Brits, who crossed the finish line on the Rotsee with a comfortable lead of more than five seconds ahead of the German eights.
medal as a goal
“We’re trying to do our best and try to get ahead as much as we can.”explains Jonas Wiesen, the new helmsman in the Deutschlandachter. “All in all, we’ve faced a lot of challenges this year, but all the guys are well prepared for the task. Another change of squad is a new challenge, but that doesn’t change our goal of wanting to win a medal.”
In addition to the DRV and the British, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy have registered for the EM, which takes place as part of the European Championships from August 11th to 21st with several sports in Munich.