The German rowing eight clearly missed an EM medal. One dominator Oliver Zeidler, on the other hand, is the big favorite for gold after making it through to the final on Sunday.
While Oliver Zeidler grinned and gave a satisfied thumbs-up, batsman Marc Kammann’s crew of eight slumped in their boat on scenic Lake Bled after crossing the finish line. Again only fourth place, again no medal for the former flagship of the German Rowing Association. From the start, the eight had nothing to do with the fight for gold at the European Championship final in Slovenia.
“Too harmless over the entire route”
“We fell behind too quickly, you can’t get close with this fast field”stated the new national coach Sabine Tschäge: “We were able to leave the Italians behind us this time, but overall we were too harmless over the entire route.” In a heart-stopping final including a photo finish, Great Britain secured gold ahead of Romania and bronze went to the Netherlands. Only six seconds later did the Germany eight finish the 2,000 meters in 5:34.39 minutes.
“It was the first race, that’s our starting point. Our task now will be to close the gap. The overseas nations are also coming along.”, said Tschäge. At the World Championships from September 3rd to 10th in Belgrade, at least fifth place is required to ensure Paris’ participation in the Olympics.
Zeidler sovereign in the final
Shortly before, one-time world champion Oliver Zeidler had confidently secured his place in the final and is aiming for gold on Sunday (1:25 p.m.). At the European Championships at home last year, the 26-year-old surprisingly missed out on a medal after a slump. Now he won his semi-final with a three-second lead over the Greek Stefanos Ntouskos.
In the men’s double sculls, however, Marc Weber and Jonas Gelsen failed to reach the final. In the final sprint, the duo had to admit defeat to the third-placed Belgians by one second after 6:22.19 minutes. The women’s quad sculls around batswoman Tabea Schendekehl had no chance in the final and ended up fifth in Ukraine’s surprise victory. In para rowing, however, there was the first medal for the DRV: world champion Marcus Klemp (40 / Rostock) won bronze in one. Manuela Diening ended up in thankless fourth place in the women’s category.