Oliver Zeidler won his fourth European single sculls title in Varese on 2 August. The 30-year-old, who rows for Frankfurter Rudergesellschaft Germania, covered the 2,000 metres in 6:36.39 minutes. That is a new European Championships record. He had set the previous mark himself in the semi-final of these championships.
After 2019, 2021 and 2024, the Olympic champion is now a four-time European champion. He skipped the 2025 championships to concentrate on his studies.
The final tested everyone's patience first. A thunderstorm moved across Lombardy and the start was pushed back by an hour. Zeidler then took the lead early and extended it all the way to the line. Defending champion Jauhen Salaty of Belarus, who competed under a neutral flag, finished 3.55 seconds behind. Bronze went to world champion Stefanos Ntouskos of Greece, 4.58 seconds back.
Germany's eight returns to the podium
The German Rowing Federation's flagship boat also took a medal. The men's eight finished second behind Romania, 2.90 seconds down. Italy took bronze. The crew is still waiting for its first title at an international championship since the European gold of 2020.
The boat had been reshuffled before Varese. Frederik Breuer moved in at stroke after the crew finished fourth at the World Cups in Seville and Lucerne. In the final Germany stayed with the leaders for the first 1,000 metres, then Romania pulled away stroke by stroke and won its first European title in the eight. The men's quadruple sculls also won gold, according to ZDF, while the German women's eight missed the podium.
The results carry a caveat. Olympic champion Britain and world champion the Netherlands did not race on Lago di Varese, ZDF reported. Germany will not meet either nation until the world championships.
Zeidler himself called the European title only a "benchmark" on the way to the peak of his season. The world championships run from 24 to 30 August in Amsterdam, where he will row for a fourth world title. His larger goal comes two years later: at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles he wants a second gold after Paris.