Germany’s eight start poorly at the World Cup in Racice

That was clear! Even in the run-up to the World Rowing Championships, the Germany eight are well behind the candidates. Previous guarantees of success seem a far cry from a medal. Even reaching the final is in danger.

Missed the start of the World Cup rather than a hoped-for trend reversal – the Germany eight have lost touch with world leaders for the time being. The German Rowing Association’s (DRV) show boat had to accept an unexpectedly big defeat in the run-up to the title fights in the Czech Republic. In fourth place, he missed a direct entry into the final.

After finishing fourth in the European Championships at home in Munich, the gap between the top teams appears to have increased. Coach Uwe Bender did not hide his frustration: “It has nothing to do with what the boys show in training. As soon as the competition comes, everything suddenly disappears.”

The huge difference with the winners Canada by about 13 seconds is not very encouraging for a comeback on Friday. Other competitors from Holland and Australia also finished ahead of the DRV team by boat lengths. Therefore, there is a risk of a World Cup Final in Racice without the previous medal guarantor.

The Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo only kept the 1,000m mark, but lost consistently in the second half of the course. “When they noticed there were three opponents, there was no resistance,” Bender complained.

The weak profile of the eight increases DRV concern with a similar modest yield as in the home EM. There they won only a bronze medal in 14 Olympic Games. The Coxswin 4, women’s paddles and women’s lightweight double paddles advanced to the semifinals on Tuesday.

Oliver Zeidler is one of the few remaining contenders for the medal. Three days after his confident win in qualifying, Wednesday’s (10:00 am) quarter-finals will be the first benchmark for the 2019 world champion. A duel with European champion Melvin Tueller of the Netherlands could show whether the hard training has paid off.

On the third day of the Regatta World Championships, the already devastated DRV fleet had to contend with another failure. A back injury prevented Schwerin’s Mary-Louise Draeger from an easy injury at the start of the replay. This ended the 41-year-old’s career before the final was announced. “My body showed me it was time to stop,” said the five-time world champion in the various lightweight categories.