Lucerne (AP) – Two months before the Olympic Games, Germany suffered a setback to eight, but Tokyo gained courage.

In the final of the World Cup in Lucerne Rottweiler, the German Rowing Association (DRV) parade boat lost to European champions Great Britain. At the end of a spectacular duel, the gap was one-third of a second.

Unlike the disappointing fourth-place finisher at the European Championships six weeks ago, this time the team around batsman Hanas Ozik (Schwerin) had a board-on-board fight with key rivals from previous years. At the end of the rowing thriller, crew member Richard Schmid does not look like a desperate loser. “It’s important that we get back on par with the British. It’s not dependent now, it’s dependent on Tokyo. That’s where the accounts are calculated,” the veteran from Trier commented on his 34th birthday.

On the other hand, German Schiff hopeful Oliver Seidler dominated the traditional regatta in Switzerland, as he did when he won the European Championship in mid-April. The 24-year-old from Ingolstadt, who took a boat-long lead, dropped Tokyo’s main rivals Sverry Nielsen (Denmark) and Kajetil Borsch (Norway) to second and third place respectively. He travels to Tokyo as a favorite, but expresses concerns: “I do not believe all this yet. It’s very easy for me. I do not know what others have blocked, but I am 100 percent close.

Like Seidler, the eighth has no reason to doubt itself. On the contrary, it seems that the ess trade on the lack of form that still exists after EM is over. Despite the narrow defeat, Uwe Bender was full of praise. “It was a high level match with pure excitement and excellent combat performance,” said the eighth coach. The racing strategy did not work in the final as it did in the victory over the British two days ago. The DRV crew was unable to make a preliminary decision this time. The British passed with the last blow.

In addition to the eight and one, the easy men’s double skull also offers excellent Olympic medal opportunities. Jonathan Rommelmann (Krefeld) and Jason Osborne (Mainz) conceded defeat to European champions Ireland and Norway at Lucerne. The fourth DRV hope for the precious metal is the women’s doubles quad, which is second only to China in form. “It went well. Now we have to stick to it. We can improve some technical things,” said Frieda Hummerling (Kial).

However, in the remaining ten Olympic classes, Germany currently lags behind world leaders. However, the DRV is represented by only seven boats in Tokyo.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210523-99-712536 / 3