Four starts, no wins – The German rowing fleet suffered its first setbacks at the World Cup in the Czech Republic. On the second day of title battles on the Races Regatta course, no DRV crew qualified directly for the semi-finals.

Unlike the previous days, when Oliver Seidler and Alexandra Foster won the first heats, this time there were no promising results. The women’s quadruple sculls, which disappointed her when she finished sixth at the European Championships in Munich five weeks ago, did not finish fourth in the preliminary heats.

The other three German boats that started in the 14 Olympic classes also had to repechage. The lightweight women’s double sculls, beaten only by crews from Ireland, made a great impression. The quartet finished third without a coxswain and missed the semi-finals in the women’s double sculls.

Eighth Batter criticized the Federation

The matches were accompanied by fresh criticism from athletes’ circles of association management that emerged before the European Championships in Munich. No.8 batsman Torben Johannesen described earlier efforts by the DRV to defuse tensions by convening an expert council as a “farce” and complained that “there were focal points of criticism in this council. They are self-regulating.” In “Ruhr Nachrichten”, the man from Hamburg called for more far-reaching reforms: “You lose confidence in the association because a lot is announced but nothing is implemented.”

A maiden World Cup exit for the men’s double sculls is already devastating the small DRV fleet. The pair of Max Appel (Magdeburg) and Moritz Wolff (Berlin) will not start in Wednesday’s quarter-finals “for personal reasons”, as sporting director Mario Walt confirmed to the German press agency. The previous day, both of them had qualified for the quarterfinals by finishing fourth in the heats. After the World Cup ended for two rowers who were apparently at odds, the DRV was represented by only eight boats in the Olympic categories.

Germany at eight and the World Cup starts on Tuesday. In the run-up (1:01 p.m.), the Crew meet Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. After a fourth-place finish at the European Championships in Munich, uncertainty about performance looms large. “Everything from missing the A final to winning a medal is possible,” Johannesen said. Coach Uwe Bender is encouraged by the excellent performances in preparation for the World Cup: “We are more in tune than before, more developed in everything.”