By advancing directly to the finals of the Olympic Games, Germany underlined his gold ambitions of eight, convincing himself of second day racing in Tokyo like any other German boat. The German Rowing Association’s parade boat overtook the U.S.’s top rovers on Saturday to win first place in the last few meters of the Sea Forest waterway, again with intense heat and high humidity. “You have to be at a very high level and in good shape to burn something like we did today. It was definitely a very good performance,” said coach Uwe Bender.

The eighth, next to single driver Oliver Seidler, is DRV’s biggest hope for gold in Tokyo, now has time to revive and prepare for Friday’s finals. “As a team it is very important to win first, the driving time and the achievements we have made today. Accordingly, I am already satisfied, ”said batsman Hans Osik. The Netherlands also won the preliminary run. Due to the weather forecast, the race was brought forward one day from Sunday to Saturday.

The lightweight double skull Jonathan Rommelmann (Krefeld) and Jason Osborne (Mains) also impressed with their initial success and cemented their reputation as a medalist. The boat qualified for the Olympic semifinals on Saturday with a lead of 2.54 seconds over the world champions from Italy, 22.38 seconds ahead of the third-placed Portuguese. “It gives us confidence and underscores our claim to finally compete for medals here,” said Rommelmann of the German Press Agency.

On Friday, two disappointing German doubles skipper made their way to the semi-finals, beating the run of hope. Leoni Menzel (D്യൂsseldorf) and Anekatrin Theil (Leipzig) finished second, while Mark Weber (Geisen) and Stephen Kruger (Frankfurt / Main) won their race and beat runners-up world champions from Ireland. Due to weather-related changes in the racing calendar, both boats will remain without a day off on Sunday.