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The German eight at a training session in Oberschleißheim in August
Photo: Sven Hoppe / dpa
The Germany eight missed the final at the Rowing World Championships in the Czech Republic.
The DRV parade boat, weakened by a corona case, had to settle for third place behind the Netherlands and the USA in the repechage on the Racice regatta course on Friday.
The distance to the two leading teams was two boat lengths at the finish.
This is the first time since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing that the eighth final of an international top regatta has taken place without German participation.
In the B final on Sunday (12.44 p.m.) it is all about the final placement in the World Cup.
The eight got off to a good start in the semifinals, but after 500 meters the big German boat increasingly lost touch with the competition.
At the finish, the gap to the Netherlands was more than seven seconds.
Shortly before the race there was a corona case in the team.
Max John from the coxless four replaced Julian Garth, who tested positive on Wednesday.
Consequence of the rebuilding after Olympic silver in the previous year
Most recently, the German eights were eliminated in the repechage in 1999 in the title fights in Canada.
In addition, the DRV parade boat, which is being rebuilt after the Olympic silver medal last year, will not win a World Championship medal for the first time since 2003.
Before the Summer Games in Tokyo, the eight had won World Cup gold three times in a row.
Unlike the eight, Oliver Zeidler gave the DRV fleet a rare World Cup ray of hope.
The 2019 world champion from Munich underpinned his claim to a medal with a commanding semi-final win over Graeme Thomas (Great Britain) and Jordan Parry (New Zealand).
This makes him one of only three Germans to take part in a World Cup final in the 14 Olympic classes.
In addition to Zeidler, Pia Greit and Frauke Hundeling qualified for the finals by taking third place.
On the other hand, the dream of a podium finish for Alexandra Föster is over.
The EM third from Meschede just missed the final despite a spirited final sprint as fourth.
Zeidler already criticized the DRV before the home EM
Rower Oliver Zeidler, who finished fourth at the European Championships in Munich, had massively criticized the DRV for its sports sponsorship before the competitions at the time: »We have no one in the German Rowing Association who has any idea about competitive sports.
It's time that responsibility was taken on," said Zeidler.
Even at the home European Championships in Munich, the DRV had only won one medal.
see/dpa/sid