Germany eighth at the Olympics: Richard Schmidt is the long-term

Now Richard Schmidt knows that he has not lost his way.

But only since Saturday when he won the preliminary round of the Olympic regatta with the Germany eighth.

It was a tough race of the kind that makes a rower stronger: the United States, the great unknowns who had not started an international race since 2019, flexed its muscles mightily.

Evi Simeoni

Sports editor.

• Follow I follow

You were in the lead for a long time, but not until the end.

The Germany eight overtook a strong finish and catapulted himself straight into the final.

"You have to be in very good shape to burn something like that," said eighth trainer Uwe Bender.

Richard Schmidt from rowing place seven, the most experienced in the boat, immediately sent a greeting to arch-rival Great Britain, third in the second heat, afterwards: "I'm glad I don't have to do the repechage." That is, should the wind conditions be allow scheduled for Wednesday.

The final is to take place on Friday (3.25 a.m. CEST in the FAZ live ticker for Olympia, on ZDF and on Eurosport).

The Dutch also qualified directly for the finals, everyone else had to torture themselves again in the humid heat under the blazing sun.

"I'm not the youngest anymore"

It was a difficult way to get to this final, and many times Richard Schmidt asked himself whether he had not made a mistake with the decision to set Tokyo as his goal again.

And with the consequent decision to add a grueling lap of honor after the postponement of the games because of the corona pandemic.

“I'm not the youngest anymore,” said Schmidt before the trip to Japan started.

He is 34 years old, an unusual age for a top rower in Germany.

The long-term student from Trier is to a certain extent also the long-term survivor in the Germany eighth.

Since 2009 he has successfully defended his place in a constant selection that does not allow any weaknesses.

Rowing under the guillotine.

Schmidt was in London in 2012 with the eighth Olympic champion and experienced such pressure that it took several weeks before he could be happy about the gold.

He had to go to the hospital with dramatic blood counts, and the doctor diagnosed a serious illness, which was not confirmed.

It was sheer exhaustion.

Schmidt resolved to take better care of himself.

Everything on one card

In 2016 at the games in Rio de Janeiro, he sat in the eighth, which was shamefully behind by Great Britain, a crew that had been well behind the Germans five weeks earlier.

Some things went wrong in the team, indicated Schmidt.

At that time he considered whether he should end his sports career now.

But he couldn't get away and put everything on one card again.

Extending the cycle to five years then brought him into a new conflict.

Everything was geared towards 2020.

The family - he has a wife and two small children - should then get their rights.

"A year of preparation for the Olympic Games consists of a lot of training camps, you are away a lot."

He wanted to complete his doctorate, which he tackled with the support of the eighth sponsor Wilo.

"I tried to push it forward, I couldn't manage it in the way it should have been." The professional development was postponed further.

If the Tokyo Games could have taken place in 2020, "I would definitely be working in a company".

Water that takes getting used to

Instead, drag, pressure and the constant fear of getting sick, injuring yourself and losing your place in the eighth.

"Of course, I thought every now and then whether it all made sense." He carefully observed the precautionary measures to protect against corona infection.

There were also doubts as to whether the games could even take place amid a pandemic. “That was very, very unsafe, especially in winter. You didn't know how it all turned out. There was always such an uncertainty. ”Finally, in June, at the World Cup in Sabaudia in Italy, his battered body reported. Schmidt had to take a break with rib pain. Another sat on his rolling seat in between. But Schmidt came back.

So now the finale. The risk has paid off so far, he and his eighth colleagues now have the chance to reward themselves for their sacrifices. In the time until Friday, the Germany eight still wants to work on the last weaknesses. The regatta on the Sea Forest Waterway is held on salt water, which takes some getting used to. It is very soft, the resistance that the rudder encounters is different than in usual fresh water. "In addition," says Schmidt, "the water is extremely warm, I estimate 26 to 28 degrees."

There is no cooling from below. All in all, a completely different rowing feeling to which you could adapt even better in the remaining time. Every detail counts, because the competition has not yet put all the cards on the table. "I haven't written off the British yet," said Schmidt in the mixed zone in Tokyo. It wouldn't be the first time they'd put on a regatta. He is expecting a very close final, in which all boats might finish within a second. It then maybe depends a bit on how well you are on the day, "said Schmidt," on luck. And also about who was best dealt with the whole situation around Corona. "