GERMANY: ROWING: Germany's men's eight's rowing team enter their final phase of training ahead of the London Olympic 2012 Games

Record ID: 330848

  • Title: GERMANY: ROWING: Germany's men's eight's rowing team enter their final phase of training ahead of the London Olympic 2012 Games
  • Date: 12th July 2012
  • Summary: BREISACH, GERMANY (RECENT: JULY 3, 2012) (REUTERS) PAN FROM GERMAN FLAG OUTSIDE BOAT HOUSE TO THE EIGHT ROWING TEAM CARRYING THEIR BOAT TO THE RHINE RIVER SEPARATING GERMANY AND FRANCE VARIOUS OF ROWERS PUTTING BOAT INTO WATER PHOTOGRAPHER IN WATER TAKING PICTURES ROWERS LEAVING SHORE TO BEGIN TRAINING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND CAMERA CREWS ACCOMPANYING ROWING BOAT ON MOTOR BOATS VARIOUS OF TRAINING IN PROGRESS PAN FROM CAMERAMAN TO ROWERS GETTING OUT OF BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (German) STROKE FOR GERMANY'S EIGHTS ROWING TEAM, KRISTOF WILKE, SAYING: "The Olympic Games are the world's greatest event for any athlete. It only happens every four years and the whole world is watching and it's definitely the biggest achievement one can strive for." TRAINING IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (German) COACH FOR GERMAN ROWING FEDERATION, RALF HOLTMEYER, SAYING: "Pressure is something you create yourself. We are saying what's more important is what we expect from ourselves rather than from the outside. I think we did pretty well so far." PAN FROM PHOTOGRAPHERS ON MOTOR BOAT TO ROWERS TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (German) STROKE FOR GERMANY'S EIGHTS ROWING TEAM, KRISTOF WILKE, SAYING: "Nobody goes (to the Olympic Games) just to be a part of it, even though that might be the motto. I think everyone's goal is to come home with a medal. Sure, based on the preliminary results in Belgrade and Lucerne, the British remain our main competitors. But the Canadians, with their world record time in Lucerne, also showed that they can do it, so we will see what happens." ROWERS TAKING BOAT OUT OF WATER AND CARRYING IT BACK TO BOATHOUSE ROWER RETURNING PADDLES PAN ALONG THE EIGHTS TEAM
  • Embargoed: 27th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7EWG3VWF8VTCK9994UMAG3EAH
  • Story Text: With just two weeks to go, the German men's rowing eight's team are in the final stages of preparation for London's 2012 Summer Olympics with the hope that they will take home the gold medal.
    Under the leadership of coach Ralf Holtmeyer, the team has won the world championship title for the last three years and have been unbeaten in their last 34 events.
    This ongoing success seems to have produced an air of calm around the team at their training camp in Breisach, southern Germany.
    Even as they push off from the bank in front of the gathered journalists, every move looks well practised and perfectly synchronised - as nine feet simultaneously push the boat out onto the river.
    The calmness is just what their coach has been aiming for - to keep any excess stress away.
    "Pressure is something you create yourself. We are saying what's more important is what we expect from ourselves rather than from the outside. I think we did pretty well so far," Holtmeyer told Reuters TV.
    Stroke Kristof Wilke said he is aware how important success at the Olympics would be.
    "The Olympic Games are the world's greatest event for any athlete. It only happens every four years and the whole world is watching and it's definitely the biggest achievement one can strive for," he said.
    The team will be up against strong opposition, with Great Britain consistently showing well in the World Cup this year and the Canadian team setting a world best time of five minutes, 19.35 seconds at a World Cup event in Lucerne, Switzerland in May.
    "I think everyone's goal is to come home with a medal. Sure, based on the preliminary results in Belgrade and Lucerne, the British remain our main competitors. But the Canadians with their world record time in Lucerne also showed that they can do it, so we will see what happens," he said.
    German rowers have been almost ever-present on the winners' podium at international competitions after they won gold at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960.
    European and World Championship successes followed and again in 1968 when trainer Karl Adam brought the team gold success at the Olympic Games in Mexico.
    But at their home Olympics in Munich in 1972, the team only managed fifth place.
    Germany's luck changed again when Holtmeyer took over the job of national trainer in 1988 when the eight's team brought home gold from Seoul.
    But in 2000, Holtmeyer lost the post of coach, after goals were not achieved in the Sydney Olympics. A low point was reached when they only finished eighth in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
    Holtmeyer then returned to the job after eight years coaching the women's team, helping to bring success back to the men.
    He will now be hoping that this success will continue in the Olympic final on August 1.
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