The German men’s eight has won the European Rowing Championship for the fifth time in a row at this year’s event, which was held in Račice in the Czech Republic.Accompanied by a bright blue sky and radiant faces in the Czech sunshine, our rowers are once again defending the European title with a boat length’s lead. The atmosphere is exuberant, spirits are high and the team is happy. The new members of the team are particularly intoxicated by the experience: “The pain threshold is different when you’re rowing in an eight. After the race everything hurts, but I’m slowly starting to enjoy the experience,” says Jakob Schneider. Torben Johannesen was also struggling to take it all in: “Yes, this is the stuff of dreams, but I can’t believe it’s actually happening!”The victory was particularly impressive because the athletes had only been training in the new line-up for four weeks. “I was surprised that it was already working so well,” rower Malte Jakschik adds. German coach Uwe Bender is thrilled with his team’s performance. “The fact that the team claimed such a commanding victory is a testament to its strength,” he says. “The team delivered what I was expecting of them in a formidable way. It was a good performance and a decisive victory.”
The controlled, ambitious and relentless team showed its mettle on the water and thus catapulted itself into first place, ahead of Poland and the Netherlands, who took second and third place. Olympic champions and long-term rivals of the German team, Great Britain, failed to meet both Germany’s standards and its own, only managing fifth place. But our lads are not resting on their laurels. Strokesman Hannes Ocik warns that Great Britain and the Netherlands still pose a threat. He says the goal is to keep them within striking distance so that Germany can win the World Championships as well. It seems that winning the European Championships has created an appetite for more success!The team certainly has a winning attitude in any case. Max Planer also praises the fighting spirit, hard work and the cohesion that the team is displaying. As he looks back on the race, he draws a very striking comparison: “We were ahead after 300 metres and from then on in, the eight was gliding along like a railway carriage because everyone was pulling together so well.” So keep up the good work lads – and make sure the railway doesn’t start rusting!
