These days, Oliver Zeidler, 26, is confronted with a lot of family history. The preliminary heats of the European Rowing Championships as part of the European Championships in Munich began on Thursday. Zeidler got stuck at the start, but still fought his way to the finish with an energetic performance as the preliminary heat winner.
For the native of Dachau, who now competes for Frankfurt’s RG Germania, the competitions take place where “I’ve spent most of my career,” as he recently announced in a virtual press round. Even as a child he spent a lot of time at the regatta course in Oberschleißheim.
This route is also of great importance for the entire family because Zeidler’s grandfather, Hans-Johann Färber, won the gold medal here in the coxed four at the 1972 Olympic Games. “Of course that’s something special for me,” says Zeidler.
In general, the rower is looking forward to the competitions in the coming days, “because they have something of the Olympics, but without the gigantism”. Of course, some repairs had to be made to the individual sports facilities, and investments were also made in the infrastructure.
But Munich advertises that the competitions take place exactly where the athletes fought for Olympic medals 50 years ago.
At the European Championships in Glasgow four years ago, the German team didn’t come with their strongest people because a month later the World Cup was taking place in Bulgaria. Also this year, a few weeks after the continental competitions, the World Championships in Racice (Czech Republic) will be the highlight of the season.
Nevertheless, the German Rowing Association (DRV) is approaching with its best possible squad. So that the athletes can soak up affection in front of the home audience. But also to check if the restart after the Tokyo 2021 Olympics is bearing fruit. Sports director Mario Woldt hopes for important “deductions for the World Cup”.
The competitions in Japan were disappointing for the DRV. The eight and the easy double scull each won a silver medal. Symbol for the frustration of the German team was Zeidler, who as a big favorite had even missed the A final run and then cried bitterly.
The women’s scull missed a medal for the first time in that boat’s Olympic history after the crew lost their rhythm while on course for silver.
The upheaval for the current Olympic cycle is correspondingly profound. Numerous athletes ended their careers, in the eight the crew changed six positions. In many boat classes, the crew was reassembled.
Brigitte Bielig took over as head coach after her predecessor Christian Felkel surprisingly resigned. She says: “We’ve tried a lot in the past few months because we’re not so well positioned in some areas.”
This was also revealed at the World Cups this season. Which Zeidler took as an opportunity to heavily criticize his association in an interview with the “Münchner Merkur”. “If you look at the results of the season in rowing, it’s a debacle. We haven’t been this bad for a long time. The downward spiral that started in 2010 is turning faster and faster.”
There is no one in the DRV “who has this idea of competitive sport”.
And time is pressing. As early as next year, the World Cup is about concentrating on the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. In Tokyo, the DRV was represented with only seven boats in 14 classes. Under no circumstances should this number be undercut. “We have to prepare very carefully for that,” says national coach Bielig.
The fact that there is less time for tinkering compared to the four-year rhythm due to the postponed games makes the situation more difficult. “I see it critically,” says the national coach. Because the renewal process means that “we have to introduce numerous young athletes to the A-squad”.
And although the recently ended U-23 World Championships showed that the young German rowers are among the best in the world with ten medals, the transition to the older rowers is difficult.
For Oliver Zeidler, after the disappointments in Tokyo, it was also about changing something here and there in the processes. “After the Olympics, I collected myself and saw what the focus was,” he says. “Some parameters and techniques have been changed.”
Due to the somewhat more professional structures, he now rows for the club from Frankfurt and no longer for his old club in Ingolstadt. His training area has remained the same with the regatta course in Oberschleißheim. In this respect, he is on very familiar territory these days.
